In the next fortnight, countless farmers and land supervisors throughout the UK will be taking half an hour out to observe and tape-record the wild birds that share their land, as the tenth GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count gets under method.
Joe Stanley, farming writer, author, NFU county chair and head of training & collaborations at the GWCT’s Allerton Job presentation farm, released the yearly across the country bird study today, Friday 3 February.
Joe Stanley, farming writer, author, NFU county chair and head of training & collaborations at the GWCT’s Allerton Job presentation farm, introduces the yearly bird study (Joe Stanley )
The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is, said Joe “a fantastic initiative which gives farmers and land managers a simple way of recording the effect of any conservation work they may have undertaken on their land.”
See what else Joe and other individuals needed to state about the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count here bfbc.org.uk
Emma Jackson of the North Essex Farm Cluster, discussed:
“As farmers and landowners, taking part in the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is a truly available method of tracking the natural capital we have on farms. It’s so essential for us to understand what wildlife our farms support, and to see the effect of preservation and stewardship plans we take part in.”
Emma, who represents the cluster of more than 40 farmers and land supervisors who collaborate on landscape-scale preservation jobs, arranged a Farmland Bird occasion ahead of this year’s count. The occasion brought farmers and landowners together with regional group the Essex Birdwatching Society and RSPB preservation consultant Mark Nowers. The goal, said Emma, was to “share ideas about supporting our farmland bird populations and to get support to identify the birds we have on our farms.”
The RSPB’s Mark Nowers said: “The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is a great opportunity to take stock of the birds on your farm. I was fortunate enough to spend time with the farmers of the North Essex Farm Cluster where we were treated to the incredible sight of over 700 Linnets bursting out of some Wild Bird Cover.
“Species like Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting and Linnet are heavily reliant on the stewardship of farmers for their populations to thrive,” commented Mark, “I hope that whatever you see, it acts as a trigger for you to think, how can I get more of these on my farm.”
What is the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count?
The yearly person science task, arranged by the Video game & Wildlife Preservation Trust (GWCT) because 2014, asks land supervisors to invest thirty minutes signing in on their feathered pals, tape-recording their numbers and sending the outcomes to the Trust. The goal is to motivate farmers and gamekeepers to support farmland birds and to highlight the effort currently done by much of them to help reverse types’ decreases. The count offers an important nationwide photo of the health of the UK’s farmland birdlife.
Land supervisors take care of 72% of the UK’s acreage – the biggest songbird environment in the nation – so they can make a genuine and instant distinction by embracing reliable preservation steps. From today, farmers and video game keepers up and down the land, from Aberdeenshire to Cornwall, West Wales to Suffolk, will get associated with this substantial countryside preservation effort.
The bird count is likewise, according to Joe Stanley, an excellent method of “getting the message out to the Great British public that farmers are proud to act as stewards of our land.”
The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is sponsored by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and has the assistance of farming unions and organisations throughout the UK.
“It is not too late to get involved,” said Dr Roger Draycott who arranges the occasion. “Counting takes just 30 minutes and can be done anytime between now and 19 February.”
Simply select one day throughout the count, download a count sheet from www.bfbc.org.uk and invest thirty minutes tape-recording the number and types of birds seen on one location of land. Then send your outcomes by means of the website.
Bird recognition guides and videos are available at bfbc.org.uk, together with assistance on how to support birds on farmland.