The Corn Bunting is the ‘Billy Bunter’ of the buntings, and among the farmland birds suffering dramatic population declines in the UK, making it a red list species. However, in this part of Essex they seem to be hanging on and they are among the birds that RSPB’s new Farmland Advisor, Frank Vargas, is working to help.
Frank’s role, funded by the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project, is to advise coastal landowners, managing c.5,750ha of farmland, on measures to help corn buntings (and other farmland bird species) and encourage the take up of suitable Environmental Stewardship land management options. With this aim, a group of local farmers were treated to a farm visit, hosted by award winning Burnham Wick farmer Martin Smith. (see photo)
Martin’s methods of wildlife friendly farming clearly reaps rewards, both financial and in number of wildlife populations taking advantage of his hospitality. Martin created a wetland habitat with funding help from Environmental Stewardship. The lagoon or ‘scrape' takes advantage of the farm's location near the Crouch estuary and just across the river from Wallasea. It uses a solar-powered pump to retain water levels throughout the year. It attracts lapwing, snipe and teal in winter and yellow wagtails in summer.
A new 15ha Wild Bird Cover area has recently been established on Wallasea Island primarily to provide food in winter, this new food supply is likely to be used by birds from a wider area and hopefully will increase the over winter survival of adult birds. This should help slow or reverse the population decline in Essex Coast corn buntings.
I've gone wild on Wallasea!