Many farmers in Cornwall are keen to know more about the birds using their farmland, and what can be done to maintain and enhance their populations. Meanwhile, Cornwall has a thriving community of amateur birdwatchers and surveyors. Many collect and submit records of the birds they see because they want to help inform the conservation of the wildlife they love. However, this data rarely gets fed back directly to the farmer. Bringing these two groups of people together, using FWAG South West advisors as facilitators, is helping to bridge the gap. 

Advisers are working with 15 farms to create survey routes for volunteers. Surveys are then conducted, and the resulting data is fed back to the farmer with accompanying visits and reports from advisors giving tailored recommendations for habitat and funding opportunities within the context of the farming system. 

The project is initially running for two years until 2024, starting in early 2022 with events for farmers and volunteers to discuss farmland bird identification, conservation and survey methodology. These are being held in the three project areas of the Lizard Peninsula, North Cornwall Coast, and lower Tamar Valley. 

Our first event, at Rosuick Farm on the Lizard Peninsula, was attended by 30 people including local farmers and people offering to do surveys for them through the project. See photos below taken by Geoffrey Williams. 

                                          

 

Update from February 2023

Our farmland bird project in Cornwall is continuing for another year. The bird survey volunteers have completed their winter surveys on the 15 participating farms, and between them have recorded 98 bird species across the farms since the start of the project. This is an incredible feat, and the data is proving very useful now that the project is starting to progress from an exercise in data collection and engagement, to one of bespoke habitat creation for target species on many of the participating farms. The diversity of species recorded is a real indicator of the sensitive land management by the farmers, and we are shouting about the contribution that so many farmers make to wildlife conservation and environmentally friendly food production.

Please see the full report which details some of the work we are doing with the farmers, and gives the full survey results to date - Click here to download.

 

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Get in touch with Lawrie Sampson ([email protected]) for more information.