Farmers to go wild with bird count 'health check' launched by New Forest charity

MORE than 1,000 farmers are expected to take part in a national initiative launched by a New Forest nature charity to count the number of wild birds on their land.

Organised by the Fordingbridge-based Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Big Farmland Bird Count will provide researchers with a “health check” of the agricultural population and the impact of protection schemes.

A trust spokesperson said: “Counting the birds on their land and comparing the results to their previous year’s data allows count participants to see the effects of their efforts.

“By submitting their results to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, scientists can analyse which species are benefitting nationally and which are in need of help.”

The initiative will run from 5th-14th February and involves farmers, land managers and gamekeepers spending 30 minutes recording what farmland birds they see.

Many will be hoping to see an increase in the number of birds they spot after carrying out conservation programmes and providing supplementary feed during the year.

Measures include wide field margins where little or no pesticides are used, allowing broad-leaved weeds to flourish to boost insect populations which are food for birds, and planting and preserving hedgerows for nesting.

Dorset farmer Rodney Butler said: “I enjoy seeing all the different types of birds over my holding.

“I am fortunate in having a large stream at one boundary which gives me the opportunity to see birds I would not otherwise have the opportunity to view, such as little egrets, dippers and kingfishers.”

Dr Roger Draycott, organiser and head of advisory services at the trust, said landowners pay a vital part in bird conservation.

He explained: “As custodians of 71% of Britain’s countryside, farmers, land managers and gamekeepers are crucial to the survival of cherished bird species like skylarks, yellowhammers, corn buntings and wild grey partridge.”

The count is being sponsored by the National Farmers Union. To sign up for the project visit www.bfbc.org.uk