By Hayley Sherwin, Volunteer and Farmer Alliance Officer, Northern Ireland
East County Down, a ‘hotspot’ for seed-eating priority birds © Andy Hay
County Down in Northern Ireland is a unique and picturesque area with a vast array of habitats and associated wildlife. The county is well known for its low, rolling hills and the spectacular Mountains of Mourne. Strangford Lough, Ireland’s only Marine Nature Reserve and is one of three in the UK, is bordered by the stunning Ards Peninsula on one side and the historical towns of Comber, Killinchy and Killeagh on the other. County Down is home to an array of fantastic wildlife to compete with its stunning scenery. The Wall Brown butterfly, once a common species across Northern Ireland, can be found along the coast; Irish Hares can be seen bounding across the farming landscape and the threatened red squirrel can be found in coniferous woodlands in this area.
Loss of seed habitat across the UK has resulted in sharp declines of many of our farmland birds, including the yellowhammer, tree sparrow and linnet. As the main arable region in Northern Ireland, East Down is the key ‘hotspot’ for these species and it is on this basis that it has been selected as one of a network of 27 RSPB Farm Advice Focus Areas across the UK where targeted advice is being provided to farmers and landowners.
But the RSPB are not new to this area. In fact we have been offering focused advice to farmers and landowners since 2006 when the Yellowhammer Recovery Project was launched. As a result of 5 years of managing arable options under the Agri-environment Schemes and habitat management advice, yellowhammer numbers increased by a staggering 79% on project farms. Not only does this demonstrate the importance of targeted advice, it highlights the fundamental role that farmers play in giving nature a home in the countryside.
Butterfly Survey Training with Butterfly Conservation © Hayley Sherwin
This year trained volunteers, armed with clipboards, binoculars and, perhaps bizarrely, butterfly nets (later in the season) surveyed over twenty new farms in this region. From the end of April to mid-July our dedicated volunteers set their alarms to “early o’clock” to carry out a series of bird surveys on the project farms. These surveys highlighted the presence of priority species: yellowhammer, tree sparrow, linnet, reed bunting, lapwing and skylark. Through working closely with project farmers, we are providing habitat management advice to benefit these species, many of which rely on spilt grain and seeds of broad-leaved weeds to survive the harsh winter months.
In arable systems, this can involve planting wild bird cover, a spring sown crop mix, which provides seed-eaters with an all-year-round supply of food; retaining stubbles after the harvest through to at least mid-February to provide a valuable seed source during the most difficult months; maintaining rough grass margins around fields as an overwintering habitat for invertebrates which adult birds can feed to chicks during the summer months. By trimming hedgerows on a three-year rotational basis into an ‘A-shape’ with a thick base, this ensures that birds such as the yellowhammer can nest in a safe, secure place with food sources nearby. Well managed boundaries not only provide nesting sites for farmland birds but they act as excellent commuting routes for small mammals such as bats.
Overwintered stubbles can be a lifeline for seed-eating farmland birds during harsh winter months © Andy Hay
If the series of early mornings wasn’t enough, volunteers delivered butterfly surveys later in the summer. Ah, the reason for the butterfly nets. Through partnering up with Butterfly Conservation, trained volunteers carried out butterfly surveys on over half of our project farms. The most common butterflies were the whites and browns but surveyors also recorded red admirals, peacocks, small tortoiseshells and small coppers. The East Down RSPB advisor is currently visiting project farms and offering advice based on the survey results and after three years the surveys will be replicated to enable us to monitor the effectiveness of the habitat management advice.