A Scottish Government consultation on a transition to a new rural policy closed last week. The theme was ‘Stability and Simplicity’, setting out plans to make the next few years as smooth as possible for land managers and rural businesses as we transition to a new system post-Brexit.

According to the Scottish Government, the aim of the transition is to ‘enhance [farmers and crofters’] role as stewards of…

Blog post by Derek Gruar, Senior Research Assistant, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science and Georgie Bray, Hope Farm's Assistant Manager.

Farming is a rewarding but very challenging test of resilience for many reasons. This year has been particularly testing, and really hammered home to us that we, like the wildlife around us, are at mercy to the almighty clouds, rain and sun from above. Whilst ensuring profitable…

At this time of year, as the nation’s attention shifts to summer holidays and farmers across the country are busy with harvest, it’s hard to keep focused on forthcoming pieces of legislation and parliamentary procedure – but we must.

The Secretary of State Michael Gove was right when earlier this year he wrote, ‘Leaving the European Union (EU) provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform agriculture…

We have advisors who speak to hundreds of land managers every year, supporting them in managing their land sympathetically. But did you know that there is also a wide range of land management handbooks available from the RSPB?

These comprehensive guides have proved incredibly popular over the years, benefitting a wide range of species. If you're already managing for wildlife alongside your agricultural interests or you're…

Guest blog by Gethin Davies (RSPB Senior agricultural adviser)

A group of Welsh dairy farmers have recently started a project working with conservation organisations to find out how they can do more for wildlife on their farms.

The Calon wen organic dairy farmers cooperative have developed the ‘Pasture for Pollinators’ project with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and the RSPB to identify practical ways…

Posted on behalf of Derek Gruar, Senior Research Assistant at Hope Farm

Starlings are often described as a “marmite” bird you either “love them or hate them”. I’m very much the former and find them endlessly fascinating. Lately the profile of starlings has increased markedly with natural history programmes and even TV commercials using the allure of murmurations where thousands of starlings perform breath-taking pre…

May and June is our busiest time of year in terms of visitors and events that Hope Farm. We are yet to take a visitor on a walk since May without the sun beating down upon us, which could be both a positive and a negative. As a positive, in true British style, anybody coming along is pleased to make the most of any warmth outside as you never know if another 3 months of rain is hiding around the corner, but as a negative…

A new report commissioned by the Highlands and Islands Agriculture Support Group highlights the significant challenges that could be faced by farming and crofting communities in the Highlands and Islands, post Brexit. The report assesses the likely impacts of different Brexit scenarios on the economy and communities and their related effects on wildlife, the environment and key sectors such as tourism.

The report concludes…

The Freshwater Habitats Trust have recently joined the Farm Wildlife partnership, bringing the number of participating conservation organisations to nine. They join the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts.

"The Freshwater Habitats Trust is an evidence-based conservation charity, working…

As usual, RSPB staff will be in attendance at various shows and events around the UK over the coming months. The Balmoral Show has already taken place (see a round up of the goings-on below), or if you're after some advice, want to share your experiences or just to catch up with your local team, read on to find out where you can do that.

Balmoral

The Balmoral show represents Northern Ireland’s largest agricultural…

Guest blog from Joscelyne Ashpole and Guy Anderson

Turtle doves need our help. Since 1995, numbers of this iconic farmland bird have dropped by a staggering 94% in the UK. Numbers are also declining across the whole of Europe.

Losses of crucial habitat for the species such as hedges, scrub and wooded areas for nesting, low open vegetation with an abundance of weed seeds for feeding, and small waterbodies or ponds for…

RSPBNI has partnered with a range of environmental NGOs as part of the NI Nature Matters campaign, which is working together for a nature friendly Brexit in Northern Ireland. Recently, as part of this coalition we responded to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster regarding the opportunities and challenges facing the agricultural industry here as we prepare to leave the EU. Without a working government…

The 2018 season of spring and summer surveys are in full swing at Hope Farm.

Read the latest update on the farm monitoring on our Saving Species’ blog here

Curlews are one of the UK’s most-loved birds and for many farmers and crofters its arrival heralds the start of spring. But sadly, this wading bird is in serious trouble; in the past two decades the UK breeding population has halved, with the most serious losses in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The only chance they have for survival is if farmers and crofters make more space for them on their land and are given the…

Curlews are one of the UK’s most-loved birds and for many farmers and crofters its arrival heralds the start of spring. But sadly, this wading bird is in serious trouble; in the past two decades the UK breeding population has halved, with the most serious losses in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The only chance they have for survival is if farmers and crofters make more space for them on their land and are given the…

At Hope Farm we try to show to the general public how it is possible to farm for wildlife throughout the year, as this farm only exists with the fantastic support of our members and we are always looking to spread the good news of Hope Farm far and wide. Despite our best efforts there is sadly never enough pictures to tell our story, and with each picture being worth a thousand words there is certainly not enough space…

Celebrating excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation, the search has begun to find conservation heroes for the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards in association with Scottish Natural Heritage. Among this year’s nine award categories, the Food and Farming Award returns for a third year to recognise our good food champions.

The way we farm and produce food affects the…

Blog by Georgina Bray, Hope Farm

Hope Farm has been a showcase of current times in agriculture this March. Skylarks and yellowhammers are singing, and lapwings displaying a sure sign that spring is here. To accompany the reassuringly repetitive changes of the seasons, the important and long-lasting decisions are being made with regards to changing policy. As a consequence, we have hosted key political players from DEFRA…

Matterley is a 2400 acre mixed farm with 200 dairy cattle and 1100 acres of arable including wheat, barley and oilseed rape. The farm has been in Higher Level Stewardship since 2014, and forms part of the Winchester Downs Farm Cluster group. Recently a decision was made to create a butterfly scrape to establish a breeding area for native Lepidoptera on the farm, including the small blue butterfly and the striped lychnis…

Guest blog by Anna Brand, Land Use Policy Officer, RSPB Scotland

The Agri-environment Climate Scheme (or AECS) began accepting applications for its 2018 round on January 17th. The scheme compensates and/or incentivises farmers and crofters for managing their land to help wildlife, to improve the health of the wider environment, and to help tackle climate change, contributing towards sustainable land management for years…

Guest blog by Cirl Bunting Project Manager Cath Jeffs

My first encounter with cirl buntings was as a student studying Conservation Management in the 1980s. A group of us were on a birding trip and heading to Penzance. We took a detour to Prawle Point (the most southerly point in Devon) to see if we could find the rare and elusive cirl bunting. We eventually found a pair on our way back to the car park (how often do you…

England Twite Recovery Project Officer Katie Aspin talks about how the RSPB is working with farmers in the South Pennines to reverse the fortunes of twite.

Twite are hardy seed eating finches that live in remote upland and coastal areas, mainly in Scotland but with small numbers in North Wales, Northern Ireland and the Pennines.

In England, twite were once a common sight in the Pennines, so much so that they gained…

I am a BA Zoology third year undergraduate student at Anglia Ruskin University, with a keen interest in understanding how organisms interact within their environment.

During the summer of 2017, I conducted a study to find out how bees are effected by different flower densities in field margins.

This research could be beneficial in gaining a wider perspective on what society can do to aid the prevention of bee loss in…

Every July I swear I won’t do it again. I’m tired after squeezing fieldwork into every possible hour for the last four months. I’m covered in itchy insect bites. And I’ve worn a hole in yet another pair of boots. I’m definitely not doing this again.

And every following spring I do.

Because as the frosts and morning mists of winter give way to spring sunshine, and green shoots start appearing…