THE third Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) will take place between February 6 and 14, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has announced.
Launching this now annual event, GWCT’s Jim Egan said: ‘More people than ever took part in last year’s count.
‘The more people who count the better idea we have as to how our farmland birds are faring, so I urge farmers to get out and count!
‘Once again we are asking farmers, landowners, birdwatchers and gamekeepers to spend 30 minutes recording the species and number of birds seen on one particular area of the farm this coming winter.’
2015’s results were impressive; nearly 1,000 farmers took part, counting birds across nearly a million farmed acres.
The results show the great work that many farmers undertake to support birds with 127 species spotted, including those of conservation concern such as starlings, lapwings and tree sparrows.
Mr Egan added: ‘It’s now time to do it all again and this time we’re offering more help on how to identify those tricky “little brown jobs”, including a downloadable ID guide to take out into the field.’
For those interested in taking part in the 2016 Big Farmland Bird Count, there is a simple recording sheet that can be downloaded from the GWCT’s website to record sightings.
Participants will then be able to fill in their results on a dedicated web page.
Sponsored by BASF, the count is run in partnership with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Association, Linking Environment and Farming, the NFU and the Country Landowners Association.
The count also receives support from RSPB, Kings, Waitrose, Soil Association, Heather Trust, Conservation Grade, Songbird Survival and Countryside Alliance.