Droppings of Springwatch bird being analysed

The droppings of one of this year's BBC Springwatch stars will be analysed as part of a conservation project.

Viewers have been treated to glimpses of the pied flycatcher at the National Trust-owned Longshaw Estate in the Peak District during the show, hosted by Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan.

Packham said the flycatchers have been one of the highlights of the programme's first visit to Derbyshire.

The bird is on the amber list of conservation concern after a sharp decline in its numbers since the turn of the millennium, so researchers will be testing its poo to see how populations can be given a boost.

Teams from Liverpool John Moores University and National Trust rangers and volunteers will be looking at the impact the choice of nesting site has on pied flycatcher breeding success.

Poo will be tested for diets and bird hormones to gauge their stress levels.

As well as analysing droppings, the microclimates at each nestbox are being logged and birds are being tagged to see where they visit and if they are competing with other species like blue tits and great tits.

The project, which featured on Springwatch on Wednesday, will help with woodland management across the UK to help populations of the migratory summer visitors begin to recover.

Principal researcher Dr Danni Hinchcliffe said the project would build on existing evidence from Longshaw "to the maximum breeding success for these very special birds".

She added: "I hope what we discover here will be useful for deg and developing more places that are as attractive to pied flycatchers as the woodlands at Longshaw."

Conservation efforts like the nestboxes set up at Longshaw since 2014 have already helped stabilise numbers of the birds.

Ranger Mark Bull, who has worked on the nesting box project since it started more than a decade ago, said 2024 was the "most successful breeding season yet", with more than 300 pied flycatchers hatched from nestboxes alone.

He said: "Our data tells us that some birds return to the same box they were born in to raise their young, but little is known about why these birds make decisions about where to nest and if certain conditions improve the success of the nests.

"We hope this fascinating research project will provide some of those answers."

Packham told the BBC watching the pied flycatchers had been one of his memorable moments of 2025 so far.

He said: "The wildlife's been sensational.

"We've got live long-eared owl for the first time, they're a really tricky bird to find.

"We've had, for the first time ever, live short-eared owl - very, very beautiful birds, with six youngsters. One of them met a grizzly end, but that's the way life works.

"Pied flycatchers, red starts, and then, of course, down on the river, we've got our dippers.

"We've been getting cracking views of the badgers as well. Derbyshire is a top part of the country, no question about that, and some great wildlife to go with it."

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.