The Hope Farm Winter Bird Index, calculated from whole-farm counts made during December, January and February, for 2013/14 is 6.84. This is a slight decline from 2012/13 (7.35). However, it is the 3rd highest winter index figure for Hope Farm since counts began in winter 2000/01 (baseline = 1) and is remarkable due to the lack of wood pigeons recorded and the mild temperatures.
At Hope Farm, as well as monitoring bird populations we also monitor butterfly numbers and contribute data to Butterfly Conservation's UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Butterflies are systematically monitored weekly from April until the end of September. This provides a yearly total for each species and enables us to draw yearly comparisons on the farm and with national trends, although slight methodological differences prevent a direct comparison with the population index for farmland butterflies in England.
The English farmland index is calculated using a suite of 21 species and we use the same species to calculate the Hope Farm Butterfly Index (see graph). Overall, butterfly numbers have increased since the baseline year in 2001, although with some annual fluctuation related to poor weather. This compares favourably with the national trend for England, which has seen a slight decline over the same period of time.
Hope Farm entered Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) in harvest year 2007 and one of the options we have taken up are Nectar flower mixtures, which increased the area of flower-habitats on the farm. The numbers of butterflies recorded as part of our monitoring has increased since 2007 and further analysis of the small scale habitat changes on butterfly numbers is ongoing.
Flower-rich field margin at Hope Farm (Image by Richard Winspear)