Corn buntings declining in Scotland, but thriving at Strathbeg

Corn Bunting (Loch of Strathbeg) Alan Sinclair

Fat birds helped through lean times by north-east farmers

February 2010 One of Scotland's scarcest resident birds is flocking to a north-east nature reserve, thanks to the help of local farmers. The corn bunting, known as the ‘fat bird of the barley', is one of the fastest declining birds in Scotland but this week a flock of 200 have been seen at the Loch of Strathbeg RSPB nature reserve, near Crimond.

RSPB Site Manager Dominic Funnell said, "We usually have a small number of corn buntings here in the winter, but this flock is unprecedented for the reserve, they are obviously flocking here from miles around. It's amazing to see them in these numbers and they're proving popular with our visitors, as there are very few opportunities to see flocks like this anywhere in the country. They have been attracted to an area of wild bird cover that has been grown from a seed mix provided by John Moir, who farms next to the reserve. John donated the seed to the reserve to benefit wildlife and, as well as growing an area of cover, some of the seed has been scattered to provide emergency food to help the birds through this latest spell of hard weather."

Once abundant - 80% recent decline
The corn bunting was once abundant across Scotland, but changing land use practices have seen it disappear from all but a few areas. The north-east of Scotland now holds over two thirds of the Scottish population, which is estimated at only around 800 singing males. However, even in the species strongholds, in some parts there has been a decline of over 80% in the last 20 years. The flock at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve could hold a high proportion of the remaining corn buntings in Aberdeenshire.

A large flock of Corn buntings at Loch of Strathbeg

Unusually large flock
The farmland around the Loch of Strathbeg is a good area to look for the corn buntings, thanks to many farmers in the area managing land to benefit the species. Hywel Maggs, RSPB Farmland Bird Officer, said, "Flocks of this size are very rarely encountered anymore in Scotland. Although it is wonderful to see so many corn buntings, this really highlights how hard they have to try to find food. Many birds perish during such cold weather due to starvation and exposure and some will have used up a lot of valuable energy travelling many miles to find food. When snow covers their normal feeding areas, the birds need to find specially sown cover crops, livestock feeding areas or grain tailings spread by sympathetic farmers. Such areas are critically important for the survival of birds like the corn bunting. If it wasn't for farmers such as John, many of these birds would probably have died during this harsh winter weather."

Unharvested crops
John Moir said, "This week we've also seen a large flock of corn buntings in our cover crop. So it's really encouraging to see land management designed to help local wildlife actually working. Some of these birds are moving between the land I manage and next door to the RSPB reserve, that means it could be important to manage such land across a wider area. Un-harvested crops are one of the most popular environmental options available to farmers when choosing from schemes such as Rural Development Contracts. Conservation groups, like RSPB Scotland, can offer advice and information, to help get the most out of such options." John's efforts to help farmland wildlife were recognised last year when he came second in the Nature of Farming Awards, a competition to rewards the UK's most wildlife friendly farmers.

Hywel Maggs added, "There is no doubt that without the help of farmers in the area many of these birds would not have survived the recent harsh weather. Some of the seed mix that John has donated to the reserve and has sown on his own land consists of unwanted, left over grain after dressing. It is a low cost management that literally provides a lifeline for some threatened species. By managing small areas of unharvested grain rich crops, farmers are helping to prevent the decline of the corn bunting in parts on the north-east, which is something that the birds, birdwatchers and RSPB are all very thankful for."