Make the Carse sing again
I have always rejoiced in the wonderful song and flight of skylarks.
The song is well remembered from childhood, when it provided a constant musical backdrop.
Here, until a few years ago, I also used to hear it from as early as late January – a great start to the musical avian year. And to provide the finale of birdsong in August, when most birds have ceased to sing, I could further rejoice in the cheery little song of the yellowhammer.
Now sadly, both these are virtually absent. And whilst I am not usually one who indulges in the `blame game’, it is an irrefutable fact that changes in farming practices have had a considerable effect on these and other farmland birds.
Modern farming methods are unquestionably affecting wildlife in a deleterious way. I have a background, which includes several years of work in the agricultural industry. I have lambed a goodly number of ewes, calved cows, milked them (both by hand and by machine), cut piglet’s teeth and it was always hands on!
David Benny from Thornhill’s letter published in last week’s Observer suggested I lambasted farmers for their failure to care for the environment. That is not the case. I am merely trying to throw some light on problems.
And, as previously said, there are so many mixed messages. Those who advise farmers do not seem to be on the same page as, for instance, Michael Gove. He is at pains to tell us he hopes future farm payments may be made on the basis of environmental improvements to their land rather than just production. I also note that Mr Benny indulges in the `blame game’. He asserts that members of the corvid clan are to blame for the sharp decline in farmland birds.
I am well familiar with such accusations albeit that most frequently the finger is pointed at raptors rather than crows. Ironically, however, birds of prey are also declining. I used to see kestrels regularly on the edge of the Carse – but sadly no longer.
And these days I no longer find myself able to admire the ghostly apparitions of hunting barn owls, surely one of our most beautiful birds with their stunning gold and silver plumage set against white underparts. Now, not only is the barn owl disappearing but as recently reported, so too is our commonest owl the tawny. Furthermore, there seem to be fewer sparrowhawks, another hint that small farmland birds are declining for hawks of course, rely upon them for food.
I am not suggesting farmers should entirely abandon silage instead of the old tradition of hay-making. I acknowledge silage making is quicker, less dependent upon shifting weather patterns and undoubtedly provides stock farmers with greater quantities of winter fodder. However, I am saying that if you value the remarkable variety of wildlife we have and enjoy living and working in the countryside, then surely you must want to ensure we continue to enjoy those special moments when, however briefly, we can commune with nature.
Nevertheless there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am encouraged by news that a forty-strong group of arable farmers in England, through an agreement with their local Wildlife Trust, are making a real effort to restore wildlife. Between them these farmers farm more than 38,000 acres but they have agreed to devote minimum areas equivalent to at least ten per cent of their land for the benefit of wildlife. This turns out to be a surprisingly substantial acreage – collectively in the region of 11,300 acres!
Cover crops have been sown to provide winter food for the many seed-eating farmland birds and they have also agreed to leave winter stubble. And they are able to manage winter sowing which will provide further feeding - but then they may be located in the drier east of the country. I appreciate that the increasingly wet winters make this difficult. In addition, long grass is being allowed to grow around field edges to provide better habitat for voles. As previously mentioned, I can only assume that the decline in raptor populations hereabouts is partially due to a declining population of small mammals. That particular group of farmers is surely to be commended. They are trying to restore a balance and have already witnessed a growth of bird, butterfly and brown hare populations, the latter also incidentally, being a cause for concern in this area.
Farmers elsewhere have also been encouraged to pursue policies aimed at the restoration of farmland birds, notably yellowhammers. Based in Northern Ireland, these farmers are co-operating on an unprecedented scale by trying to reverse the decline in such farmland birds. For example, they are especially being encouraged to adopt more environmentally friendly management of hedgerows as opposed to the generally artless mechanical way in which hedgerows are currently managed.
Hedgerows, of course, are a fundamental requirement for yellowhammers.
As a trustee of the Carse of Stirling Partnership, I am proud and delighted my fellow trustees have decided to see if we can launch a similar project on farms on the Carse, entitled `Make the Carse Sing Again’. It could be a way of bringing farmers and conservationist together!
Climate change and the continuing destruction of more and more countryside to make way for human settlements are at the root of the further erosion of the wealth of wildlife with which we share this planet. And I’m afraid, pollution and the heavy use of chemicals on the land, make further negative contributions. Again, declining populations of bees and other pollinating insects provides the clearest and gravest of warnings that the health of our landscape is in serious decline too. Recent research suggests that our insect life has declined by as much as 75 per cent. Wow! This is surely absolutely the clearest warning possible and so critical for the farming industry. A ban on the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides across Europe by the end of this year is a start.
I am not anti-farmer. Rather am I in the privileged position of being able to use the platform I have in the Observer as a means of exploring these issues. I thank my lucky stars that down the years, I have been given the opportunity to share and enjoy so many glimpses of our wonderful wildlife.
We owe it to future generations to do our best to ensure they too enjoy such pleasures.