Watch the birdies! Farm count delivers best ever results

Spotters tally 93 species over 60,000 acres of Scottish land

Afantastic effort from farmers across theuk has helped secure a best-ever year for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC).

Results show that 1,400 people – 40 per cent up on last year – recorded 140 species over one million acres in the GWCT initiative, which took place between 8 and 17 February.

Encouragingly, 30 red-listed species were recorded, with five appearing in the most-commonly seen species list.

These included fieldfares, starlings, house sparrows, yellowhammers and song thrushes, with the first four seen by more than 30 per

cent of the farms taking part. The five most abundant birds in the UK count overall were woodpigeons, starlings, lapwings, black-headed gulls and rooks. A total of 148,661 were spotted, making up nearly half of the total number of birds recorded.

In Scotland, 61 farmers took part, recording 93 species across 57,881 acres. The most-commonly seen species were blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, pheasant and robin and a total of 18 red-listed species were recorded. Last year in Scotland 43 farmers took part, recording 79 species across 32,424 acres.

Jim Egan of GWCT, who has coordinated the count for the past six years

said: “It’s brilliant to see an increase in the number of participants. The fact that, in many cases farmers and birdwatchers have worked together and inspired each other shows the power of sharing our skills and knowledge.”

The average farm size of those taking part across the UK was 739 acres, with 66 per cent growing arable crops, 52 per cent having beef or sheep, and 13 per cent growing field vegetables. Dairy farms, horticulture units, poultry producers and pig producers also submitted counts.

Survey areas included important environmental features such as hedges, woodland ponds, grass margins, ditches and trees. The BFBC was launched in 2014 to highlight the positive work done by farmers and gamekeepers in helping to reverse the decline in farmland birds. The count offers a simple means of recording the effect of any conservation work currently being instigated by farmers and gamekeepers, such as scatter feeding birds through the winter or growing crops specifically to provide seed for birds.

Dr Dave Parish, head of lowland research, GWCT Scotland, said: “We are encouraged that more farms took part this year than last, not just in Scotland but over the UK as a whole.

“The more participants there are then clearly the better we can determine the health of our on-farm wild bird species.”

The GWCT is grateful to NFU for sponsoring the BFBC, which was delivered in partnership with FWAG Association, LEAF, CLA, Kings and NFU Scotland.

To see the UK results in full, visit www.bfbc.org.uk/2019results