Whilst out walking my dog at the weekend around the fields and hedgerows of the Oxfordshire countryside which I grew up in, I was suddenly made aware of how different everything around me sounded. Ok, there were obviously no planes in the sky that weekend, but I am sure I can recollect as a teenager, some 24 (er, hum) years ago, hearing more Skylarks, more Yellowhammers and more Bullfinches. My journey to my old stomping grounds suddenly brought home, something I guess I already knew; the English countryside that surrounds us is subject to constant change and how it is used and managed has without doubt dramatically changed over the last 24 years. Sadly, this change, along with other factors, has unfortunately had an impact on such birds as the Yellowhammer and Skylark and I have to say I miss them. I am sure I am not alone in the hearing the change in the countryside and wonder if anyone else experienced this and what changes they have heard.
Fortunately, in Shropshire, things are quite different and on a countryside walk I hear skylark (even where I work which used to be an airfield), yellowhammers, chiffchaffs, dunnocks, wrens, robins, tits and finches. Plenty of pheasant and partridge too as well as my beloved (barmy) hares! Where I watch the hares, I also hear lapwing which must be nesting nearby. There are also lots of various corvids calling, including raven and buzzards often up in the thermals!
We are lucky to have a good amount of hedgerows still here and a lot of the farmers tend their land sympathetically with good, wide verges around the fields and set-aside areas too!
Hope to hear of more positive feedback from around the UK!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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Hi Marjus as a retired farmer I find it really refreshing that you see farming in a positive light.Think there is a lot farmers can do to help wildlife and the biggest problem I think is that they have not the expertise and knowledge to put it into practice so at every opportunity try to get the RSPB to pass the knowledge on and help because I believe lots of farmers would co-operate.