RSPB survey reveals South West's top five farm birds

'It was great to find yellowhammers and corn buntings'

November 2011: A snapshot of birdlife on South West England's farms through a RSPB bird survey.

REGULAR VISITOR: The chaffinch. Picture: RSPB

The surveys, conducted by a team of over 100 volunteers, was part of the ground-breaking Volunteer & Farmer Alliance project.

Ninety farms, from Gloucestershire to Cornwall, took part in the free survey this spring, the highest number in recent years, and the results are now out.

The top five most common birds on south west farms in 2011, as recorded in this survey, were: Blackbird, chaffinch, blue tit, robin and swallow, but many farms were home to much rarer birds.

'A great opportunity to document the wildlife on our farm'
Graham O'Mahoney is an RSPB volunteer surveyor in Wiltshire: ‘I really enjoyed doing the surveys, and meeting the farmers. Most of all it was great to find birds such as corn buntings and yellowhammers. Knowing that you are helping the conservation of farmland birds is just about as good as it gets.'

Anthony and Deborah Edwards, who farm in east Devon, said: ‘This was a great opportunity to document the bird life on our farm which we manage under the Higher Level Stewardship scheme. The results have generated interest from visitors to our holiday cottage and have contributed to our own enjoyment of the land.'

Regional Project Officer Felicity Clarke co-ordinates the surveys for the RSPB: ‘It is such a pleasure to gather in all the data at this time of year, to see how our farmland birds are doing and to hear stories from volunteers.

‘These farmers and volunteers are making a huge step for nature, and we hope that the increased interest shown this year will continue to benefit farm wildlife in future.

Yellow wagtails, tree sparrows and turtle doves are struggling
‘Many farmland birds in the region are doing fine. Three quarters of farms surveyed in 2011 had skylarks and house sparrows and two thirds had linnets and yellowhammers.

‘Sadly, though, not all the figures were good. Only seven per cent of farms had grey partridge, four per cent yellow wagtail, three per cent tree sparrow and only one farm had turtle dove. These figures are worrying, but as farmers continue to step up and demand for surveys and advice increases, so does our hope that these distressing numbers can be reversed.'

This year's surveys have been so successful that the RSPB has high hopes for 2012. Farmers are already registering and new volunteers are being recruited to meet the demand.

If you are interested in taking part in next year's survey - either as a volunteer or as to find out what birds are breeding on your farm, contact Felicity Clarke felicity.clarke@rspb.org.uk or 01392 453774.