Animals thrive in farmers’ haven

Wildlife ranging from harvest mice to barn owls are thriving in a region made famous by Gilbert White, Britain’s first ecologist, and the novelist Jane Austen.

The study of wildlife around Selborne, Hampshire, has recorded about 10,000 species, including 114 different bird breeds – just short of the 120 recorded by White in the eighteenth century and across a much wider area.

Volunteers discovered several bird species not previously spotted by White, including Egyptian goose, mandarin duck, red-legged partridge, white stork and little owl.

A total of 79 barn owl chicks were recorded between 2017 and 2021, which have benefited from the installation of 53 nesting boxes. The survey of the Selborne Landscape Partnership has been the focus of a 10-year project involving farmers and land managers to create habitats and to promote nature-friendly food production.