Every year, winter monitoring at our arable Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire checks on bird numbers, to see the impact nature-friendly practices are having on our farmland birds. Across the 180 hectares, there were some amazing records of red list species, including Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Lapwing and Linnet to name a few. 

Over on the Saving Nature with Science blog, Duerden Cormack, Monitoring Assistant at Hope Farm, gives…

A summary of the first Webinar in Hope Farm’s Technical Webinar Series 2022/2023, by Helen Mason, RSPB’s Investigations Intelligence Manager (on sabbatical at Hope Farm). Hope Farm Webinar 1 series 2022/2023 - Farming for resilience and a...

Chris Bailey, Advisory Manager for RSPB Scotland, provides an overview of the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation project focused on increasing the number of farmers who undertake wader friendly management in Scotland

RSPB Scotland proactively supports initiatives at both national and local level aimed at reversing the declines in waders, many of them working in partnership. At the national level, we are a partner in t…

Join us for the 2022/2023 series of webinars, hearing from experts in the fields of research, conservation and the farming sector. From hedgerows through to beetles and then wider research projects on how nature-friendly farming techniques may help ...

An opportunity to reflect on the last year at RSPB Hope Farm, by Georgie Bray, Hope Farm Manager.

Winter is well settled in now on the farm, although it has been a long time coming. The scorching 40-degree heat of the summer seems a long time ago with everything looking damp, brown and muddy. As soon as our Autumn-sown crops were drilled it was a relief to see some decent rain to fill the water table. With a bit more…

This year, the RSPB is piloting the Volunteer Monitoring of Farm Wildlife (VMFW) project.  Below is a diary account from one of our volunteer surveyors, Lynne Roberts. We are told that our farmland ecosystems are in crisis and that farms these d...

Richard Winspear, Agricultural Advice Manager, sets out the key requirements of the SFI's role in supporting farmers to build sustainable farming systems in England that support nature, and proposes an SFI Farmland Biodiversity Standard based on ...

Hannah Woodall, Land Use Policy Officer for RSPB Cymru, summarises the key goals and ambitions for the new Sustainable Farming Scheme in Wales. RSPB Cymru very much welcomes Welsh Government’s proposals for its new Sustainable Farming Scheme (S...

To date over 1,000 trees have been planted in the agroforestry field at Hope Farm with the help of staff and volunteers. Sophie Mott, RPSB Carbon Farming Project Manager, tells us more. Over the winter we planted up one of our 11ha arable fields into...

Ecologist, Dr Jacqueline Weir, explains how The Woodland Wildlife Toolkit website has been developed in partnership with other organisations and experts to provide location specific advice and guidance to woodland owners, managers and advisers. In th...

This year, the RSPB has been working with farmers and volunteers across the Dark Peak to map the locations of wading species on enclosed farmland ahead of the introduction of new payments for biodiversity through the ELM scheme.  

Conservation Officer, Tom Aspinall writes about how the project came about and what it hopes to achieve in partnership with farmers in the Dark Peak.

There’s something extra special about walking…

To give us an insight into this year's inspirational Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Show and Conference Shelley Abbott, Fair to Nature Technical Facilitator, summarises our presence at the recent event, and explains why it is so popular amo...

Mark Varney, Head of Fair to Nature on the importance of restoring nature as part of a productive farming system, and the benefits of joining Fair to Nature. As a nation, over recent years, we’ve seen policy-driven changes in agriculture cause ...

Hannah Woodall, Land Use Policy Office for RSPB Cymru outlines the effective ways that farmers in Wales are using nature friendly farming techniques to improve farm resilience and provide environmental benefits.   Farming in Wales is at its...

Andrew Stark, Land Use Policy Officer RSPB Scotland, provides a summary of how the Good Food Nation Bill should be making Scotland’s food system better for nature by putting nature at the heart of agricultural practices. Food is vitally im...

Bridget Gaskill, Agricultural Advice Project Manager outlines the key themes and highlights anticipated during our presence at Groundswell, 22nd and 23rd June 2022. Following our inaugural presence at Groundswell last year, RSPB and the Farm Wildlife...

Zoë Randle from Butterfly Conservation highlights why butterflies are so important for farming and wildlife on farmland and recommends the RSPB Farmland Butterfly Survey method for monitoring them. This methodology is being used in the Volunteer...

Richard Winspear, Agricultural Advice Manager, cites important issues raised in the recent BoCC review regarding threatened bird species. Birds of Conservation Concern 5 Last December saw the publication of the latest review of the status o...

In this blog, we explain about how RSPB Scotland staff are working with farmers and crofters through the National Lottery Heritage Funded Corncrake Calling project to increase the area that is positively managed for the species. Creating more land well managed for Corncrake has been shown to have wider benefits for a host of other species including plants, bumblebees and beetles.

Just before Christmas, RSPB Scotland released…

Georgie Bray, Hope Farm Manager shares her experiences from the farm.  Trials and Tribulations at Hope Farm – Insecticide-free oilseed rapeIn recent years, we at Hope Farm have been hit by the same problems as most oilseed rape (OSR) growe...

Catherine Jones, from Farm Wildlife highlights why pollinating insects are so important for farming and wildlife on farmland and recommends a quick and simple method for monitoring them. In the UK, wild bees, hoverflies, and other pollinating insects...

Ruairi Brogan, Sustainable Agriculture Policy Officer, brings us up to date on the future agriculture policy in Northern Ireland. Last month RSPB Northern Ireland responded to the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Futu...

Steph Morren, Senior Policy Officer reflects on the situation 60 years since the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.  We still face many of the same issues with chemical use, however, many farmers are now adopting innovative...

If you wish to join any of these webinars register using the links below

Wednesday 2^nd February, 19.00 to 20.30

• Title: Using cover/trap crops to facilitate IPM
• Registration page https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-covertrap-crops-to-facilitate-ipm-the-role-of-beneficial-plants-tickets-245622181557
• Content: The first in a series of events about Integrated Pest Management, this event will focus on the potential of plants…

Last year, to celebrate our 20th Anniversary, we launched a Hope farm webinar series. The aim was to share lessons that we had learnt on the farm over the last 20 years, incorporating our main mantra which is to share wildlife-friendly, sustainable farming practices that make sense for the farm business. It was fantastic to be joined by the experts that we learn from, and have a wonderful audience that seemed to also…