With the breeding season in full swing, a team of dedicated volunteer surveyors have been out and about in east County Down as part of RSPB NI’s Farming Together with Nature project.
The project, now in its third year, focuses specifically on this area of Northern Ireland as it’s been identified as a ‘hotspot’ for six threatened species – yellowhammers, linnets, reed buntings, tree sparrows, skylarks and lapwings.
This year, 25 farmers have granted us access to their land to find out which birds and wildlife are making their homes there. Each area of farmland will be surveyed four times between April and July – meaning quite a few early mornings for Conservation Advisor Philip Carson and his band of volunteers!
Once all the data has been collected, farmers will then be able to avail of tailored advice to help make their land even more beneficial for nature. Even making one small change, like planting wild bird cover or leaving wet areas for lapwing chicks to forage for food can make a big difference.
So far this year Philip has visited three of the participating farms and was amazed at the wealth of wildlife he saw.
He said there was farm in particular where ‘yellowhammers were popping out of the hedge every five or 10 metres’ – an amazing thing to see considering these bright and beautiful little birds are now red-listed in Ireland.
If you’d like to see and hear more about this project, why not join Philip on a Farm Walk on Sunday, 14 June? You’ll have the opportunity to explore land between Strangford and Downpatrick which is rich in all sorts of wonderful wildlife.
For more information or to reserve your place, call 028 9049 1547 or email philip.carson@rspb.org.uk.