Nature notes Farmland birds take wing again

AN UPTURN in the fortunes of farmland birds has been recorded after decades of worrying decline.

The latest Wild Bird Populations in the UK report shows that in 2014 and 2015 they showed a six per cent increase. This comes after steep falls overall for wild birds since 1970. More than half of farmland birds, a fifth of woodland birds and a quarter of seabirds have been lost in that time, figures from Defra show.

The growth comes mainly from farmland generalist species, which are adaptable to other environments. Species that are highly dependent on such farmland did not show a significant change. Birds that showed sharp rises in populations include blackcaps, great spotted woodpeckers, red kites and collared doves.

It is unclear if this indicates a turn-around of fortunes for the creatures or if this is an anomaly. Samantha Herbert