HOPES RAISED FOR FARMLAND BIRDS

The latest Wild Bird Populations in the UK report, covering 2015, from the BTO, shows some cause for cautious optimism about farmland birds. Farmland birds have been declining since the late 1970s in the UK, but between 2014 and 2015 the farmland bird indicator showed a significant 6% increase, mainly due to an increase in the indicator for farmland generalist species. Farmland specialist species – those highly dependent on farmland habitat – did not show a significant change. It is unclear whether this is merely a short-term blip, or what might be responsible for the change. Amanda Trask, research ecologist at the BTO, said: “This is great news but we shouldn’t get too carried away. These short-term upturns are against a backdrop of long-term decline and we still have a long way to go before our birds are out of trouble.”

50-plus % - the proportion of UK farmland birds lost since 1970