Big Farmland Bird Count reveals this year's results
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More than 1500 farmers across Britain overcame challenging February conditions to make the 2020 Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) the biggest across the UK since it was launched in 2014.
More than 120 bird species were recorded across 1.4 million acres in the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) initiative.
Due to storms Ciara and Dennis hitting both weekends of the count, organisers took the step to extend the count window by a week in response to calls from those farmers who wanted to take part but couldn’t do so.
The commitment of those counting at a time when tens of thousands of acres were left inundated with floodwater should not be overlooked.
UK wide an impressive 25 red-listed species were recorded, these included: woodpigeons, starlings, lapwings, black-headed gulls and rooks.
In Scotland 60 farmers took part recording 81 species across 81,362 acres.
Nineteen of these species are red-listed, with the five most commonly seen species being blackbird, pheasant, robin, blue tit and carrion crow.
In 2019 by comparison 61 farmers took part, recording 93 species across 57,881 acres.
The most-commonly seen species then were blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, pheasant and robin.
Commenting, Dr Dave Parish, Head of Lowland Research, Scotland, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: “South of the border particularly GWCT received a record-breaking number of count returns despite storm Ciara and storm Dennis wreaking havoc on many farms.
“This highlights the commitment of farmers not only to undertake farm wildlife conservation measures but also to record and evaluate the benefits of this vital conservation work.
“In Scotland whilst the numbers taking part were broadly equivalent to last year, the area covered significantly increased.
“However, there was no surprising fluctuation in species being spotted, four of the top five remaining the same year on year.
“With a likely increased focus on delivering public goods in the future Government support schemes, understanding what is on your farm is increasingly important.
“Slightly more than a third of Scottish participants are in some form of agri-environment scheme, demonstrating their long-term commitment to environmental management.
“ Across the UK as a whole 36 per cent of farmers taking part were providing some form of extra seed feed for birds, either through growing wild bird seed mixes, or by providing additional grain through scatter feeding or via hoppers.”
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 on their land, such as scattering seed through winter or growing crops specifically to provide seed for birds.
