Snapshot taken of health of farmland birds

More than 1,900 farmers and land managers overcame challenging weather conditions to provide a vital snapshot of the health of our cherished farmland birds by taking part in the 2022 Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's (GWCT) Big Farmland Bird Count in February.

More than 420,000 individual birds were counted in the survey, which is now in its ninth year.

An impressive 26 red-listed species were recorded, with seven amongst the 25 most frequently seen species. Of these, starlings, lapwings, fieldfares, and linnets were the four most abundant red-listed species to be spotted, with more than 125,000 counted, which equates to 29% of all species recorded.

The most commonly seen species were blackbirds and woodpigeons, sighted by over 71% of participants, while more than 63% saw robins, carrion crows and pheasants. The five most abundant birds seen were woodpigeons, starlings, lapwings, fieldfares and rooks: a total of 204,398 individuals, making up over 48% of the total number of birds counted.

“The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count shows that farmers are not only on the frontline of the country’s ever more important food security, but also its conservation efforts,” said Dr Roger Draycott, GWCT Head of Advisory, who co-ordinates the survey. “The count highlights the commitment of land managers to not only undertake farmland wildlife conservation measures, but also to record and evaluate the benefits of that vital work.”

NFU President Minette Batters said: “I’m delighted that so many farmers responded to this year’s count despite the disruption of the stormy weather throughout February which hit the entire country.

“Although Britain’s farmers are focused on the importance of producing the nation’s food, they are passionate about protecting the countryside, and the results from the latest Big Farmland Bird Count provide a fantastic snapshot of the huge amount of work being carried out on our farms to encourage wildlife.”