The end of the year brings to a close a pioneering three-year project that we’ve been leading in the Fens. The big aim has been to raise awareness of nature-friendly farming in the Ouse Washes landscape, which is a particularly rich area for farmland wildlife, particularly birds.

Image: Turtle doves on machinery (rspb-images.com) 

We’ve done this by working with a group of 12 farmers, whose land covers an impressive…

With just three months until the 4th Big Farmland Bird Count, the GWCT is offering an exciting opportunity for those farmers who are thinking of taking part to book on to a farmland bird identification training session. If you’re a farmer and not confident about telling a Tree sparrow from a House sparrow this course could be for you.

Jim Egan of the GWCT comments; “If you can’t name every bird you see on your…

In case you missed it, there's exciting news from our research teams looking at solutions to help corn buntings - check out the findings from this latest research here. Could this work on your farm?

It's always great to hear when farmers we work with are recognised for their efforts for wildlife - and this year's Farmers Weekly Awards gave us all a reason to be cheerful.

The Fens is one of the main areas in East Anglia for growing cereal and horticultural crops, but amongst all those crops, there is still room for farmland wildlife to flourish. Award winner Michael Sly has proven just that and wants the…

A new and updated plan to help livestock farmers provide for wildlife is now available from the Farm Wildlife partnership here. This plan brings together the knowledge and expertise of all the partners involved in the project to provide the essential habitats and farm management that wildlife relies upon in the farmed landscape.

Image: www.rspb-images.com

Six key measures are the focus of the plan:

 - Established wildlife…

Posted on behalf of Stuart Croft, Cirl Bunting Project Officer

As a youngster growing up in the south Midlands in the 1970’s, my fascination for discovering the birds around me was fuelled by one bird book in particular – The Reader’s Digest Book of British Birds. Not a conventional guide used for assisting with bird identification in the field – its generous dimensions and not inconsiderable weight put pay to that…

Farm to fork project between RSPB Ramsey Island and a Pembrokeshire restaurant highlights the positive elements of environmentally friendly farming.

You might travel further than three miles to your workplace, taking the children to school or when attending the gym. Nevertheless, this is the short distance RSPB Ramsey Island’s lamb and venison travels to be sold at St Davids Kitchen, a Pembrokeshire restaurant, as part…

Posted on behalf of Neal Warnock, Conservation Advisor in Northern Ireland

In 2011, around 12,000 farmers across Northern Ireland had land entered into some form of agri-environment scheme. Over half of farmers working with RSPB NI in the Glenwherry area of the Antrim Hills had fields entered into options specifically aimed at supporting curlews, lapwings and snipe. Shockingly, this group of ground nesting waders have…

County Down man Roy Lyttle has been crowned Northern Ireland’s most Wildlife-Friendly Farmer at the prestigious Farming Life and Danske Bank Awards.

This is the third year RSPB Northern Ireland has sponsored the Wildlife Friendly Farmer of the Year award and, as always, the competition was fierce. More than 300 people from across Northern Ireland attended the event at the Ramada Hotel at Shaw’s Bridge in Belfast…

The RSPB has announced the beginning of a new three year partnership with Conservation Grade, which will allow the two organisations to work together on behalf of wildlife.

Conservation Grade is the accreditation scheme behind the Fair to Nature brand. The partnership between the two is helping to provide advice to farmers and promoting the benefits of the scheme to farm businesses.

For over 25 years Fair to Nature…

One of Scotland’s rarest breeding birds, the corncrake, has suffered a fall in numbers for the second year running in Orkney, mirroring a trend seen in populations across Scotland.

There were 12 calling males across Orkney in 2016, down from 16 in 2015. Hopes were high after a three-fold increase between 2013 and 2014, but numbers have decreased ever since. In total, across Scotland, 1059 calling males were counted…

On 19 October, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Agroecology hosted an event in Westminster. Farmer Anthony Curwen came along with representatives of the RSPB and shares his views below. 

"As Manager of the Quex Park Estate, a country estate in Kent which farms intensively but also has delivered many environmental gains, I was invited to this meeting by the RSPB to make elected politicians aware of the various issues…

Posted in behalf of Anna Broszkiewicz, Conservation Monitoring Officer in the Midlands

Last month, the RSPB farming team from the Midlands attended the Festival of the Plough in Epworth, Lincolnshire. Five project volunteers joined farming staff on the stand and together we shared news about the Isle of Axholme farmland advice project and helped with many farmland wildlife enquiries, and some urban ones too! The project…

As we come to the end of our series of farmer views, we head to Exeter to hear from farmer Martyn Bragg, who has just recently submitted his Countryside Stewardship application to support the approach that he is taking on the farm.

(All views shared in this series are those of the individual farmer and have not been edited by the RSPB)

"I have recently applied to the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme and praying…

For the third instalment in our week-long series of farmer opinions, we head to the East of England where farmer Jake Fiennes sets out his hopes for the future.

Yesterday, we heard from Scottish farmer Michael Clarke and his triple bottom line of financial, environmental and social elements to his farming business. Today, we head south to hear from Henry Edmunds, who farms in Wiltshire.

(All views shared in this series are those of the individual farmer and have not been edited by the RSPB).

"Once again we have an opportunity to influence the future support mechanism for British…

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, this week we are featuring the views of farmers who are making great efforts for wildlife on their farms on the future shape of farming policy. Today we hear from Scotland, and thoughts from farmer Michael Clarke.

(All views shared in this series are those of the individual farmer and have not been edited by the RSPB)

"My wife and I farm beef, sheep and holiday cottages on 300…

If you’re a reader of Martin Harper’s blog, you will have seen that together with other partners, the RSPB has set out a shared vision for a post-Brexit countryside.

As major stakeholders in how the countryside is managed, farmers have a significant role to play in helping our countryside to flourish with wildlife, as well as producing the food on which we all depend.

Whichever way you voted, the decision…

As we are now in October, signs of autumn are everywhere. Shortening days, lengthening nights, heavy dews most mornings and a distinct chill in the air – a real change from the 30C days in September. Harvest has finished and the patient wait for the right conditions to drill new crops goes on.

From a bird point of view there are signs of autumn too. A flock of over 250 lapwings feeding on one of our fields is a…

There was something magical about that first curlew of spring.

As I peered into the low morning sun, the bird's long legs and gently curving bill were outlined in silver. It picked its way elegantly across the field, probing into the grass, each blade tipped with shining dew. I could feel my heart thumping as I positioned myself behind a nearby hawthorn. They were back.

It was to be the first of many encounters…

Posted on behalf of Senior Policy Officer Tom Lancaster

We’re often told by politicians at Westminster that ‘Brexit means Brexit’; but what does Brexit actually mean, and what does it mean for farming, land use and nature? 

Cattle grazing in cirl bunting habitat (RSPB-images.com)

The outcome of the referendum result has created a shift so massive that few, if any, are yet able to comprehend what it…

A new and updated plan for arable farms has been developed by the Farm Wildlife partnership, and is now available on the website - www.farmwildlife.info. This plan brings together the knowledge and expertise of all the partners involved in the project to provide the essential habitats and farm management that wildlife relies upon in the farmed landscape.

Six key measures are the focus of the plan:

Look after established…

August heralds the winding down of show season for us, and this year has been as busy as ever for the agriculture team. We’ve been all over the UK to talk about nature-friendly farming, and it’s a great way for us to catch up with friends in the farming world, hear about issues and successes and help find practical solutions.

A busy day at Cereals 2016. Image: Anna Broszkiewicz 

One of our biggest shows…

Regular readers of this blog will be well aware of the fantastic success that we have had at Hope Farm with increasing key farmland breeding bird populations since 2000: skylarks quadrupled, linnets quintupled, yellowhammers doubled, lapwings, yellow wagtail and grey partridge all colonizing the farm since RSPB bought it. Overall our key breeding bird populations have increased by 190%.

There have been two species which…

In case you missed it - read Martin Harper's thoughts on the implications of Brexit for wildlife-friendly farming here. It's worth a read, and we'll continue to assess the implications for nature as further details become available.