Book now for ID days ahead of farmland bird count

As the third Big Farmland Bird Count draws closer, a number of bird ID days are being held to help farmers identify “little brown jobs”.

Details for 17 farmland bird ID days have been announced by organiser the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).

They will take place in January and February across the country, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

See also: Farmers gear up for third Big Farmland Bird Count

Three of the days have already sold out, so farmers and gamekeepers who want to take part in this year’s count and who need help identifying different species are being urged to sign up now.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance. Therefore farmers are advised to book online now – tickets cost £10 each.

The count will take place from 6-14 February. Participants need to record the species and number of birds seen on one particular area of the farm at some point during that week.

The days are designed to help farmers improve their identification skills ahead of the count. Each course is run by an expert birder, and will run from 11am-3pm.

At the end of the training, farmers should be able to recognise the top 24 bird species likely to be seen on farmland this coming winter.

Jim Egan, from the GWCT’s Allerton Project, said: “In 2015 we ran eight of these ID days. The demand for places was fantastic and we received some great feedback from farmers about how much they’d learned.

“It gave many of them the confidence to go on and actually complete the count. It’s great to be working with some fantastic host farmers and farmland bird experts from both the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group

and the RSPB as well as a range of other local birding experts.”

Conservationists blame intensive agriculture for the decline in farmland bird numbers in recent years.

But over the past few years, farmers have spent much time and effort introducing practical measures on farms, such as wild bird mixes, margins and hedgerows, to try to help species bounce back.

The GWCT says the count is a great opportunity for farmers to demonstrate the positive effect their work is having on bird numbers.

Almost 1,000 farmers took part in the 2015 bird count – counting birds across nearly a million farmed acres. Some 127 different species were identified, including those of conservation concern such as starlings, lapwings and tree sparrows.

To sign up to the bird Iientification days, or to download count forms, please visit GWCT site or telephone 01425 651 000.