Despite it being the wettest winter since records began more than 500 farmers, covering nearly half-million acres of UK farmland, rose to the challenge of taking part in the first year of the Game Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Big Farmland Bird Count in February.

Farmers participating in the count represented every county in England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in what the trust reports is a fantastic first year.

Farmers recorded seeing a total of 116 different types of birds, and encouragingly, six red-listed data species appeared in the top 25 of birds counted. These included linnet, yellowhammer, house sparrow, tree sparrow, starling and lapwing. Starlings were seen on over 40 per cent of the farms taking part and were the most abundant bird recorded in the survey.

Jim Egan from the trust’s Allerton Project, said, “This was a remarkable result both in terms of the range of species counted as well as the number of red-listed species appearing within the top 25. These are some of our most rapidly declining species but they are still out there and are being supported by our farmers through the many conservation measures that are now being implemented on farmland across the country.”

Over-winter feeding proved to be fruitful counting sites for many farmers and enabled them to record impressive numbers of yellowhammer and corn bunting as well as many other seed eating birds.