British farmland bird numbers fall to record lows

FARMLAND bird numbers in England fell 5% last year to new record lows.

Statistics covering the 19 key species which breed or feed on farmland in England showed populations had more than halved since records began in 1966.

Conservationists said the year-on-year fall could be the result of a cold winter and the loss of “set-aside” land that farmers were paid to leave fallow, an EU policy abolished in 2007.

The decline is part of a trend in falling farmland bird numbers which has seen populations drop 53% below where they were when monitoring first started in 1966. RSPB experts said the figures made “depressing reading” and they were most concerned about the fortunes of threatened species including lapwings, which saw a 12% decline, corn buntings whose numbers fell 7%, and the grey partridge, which plummeted by 23%.

Lapwings and grey partridges, both “red-listed” species because of concerns about the declines they are suffering, were among six birds which saw significant falls in numbers between 2008 and 2009, along with kestrels, skylarks, starlings and greenfinches.

In total, 12 species saw numbers fall, while seven farmland birds including jackdaws and goldfinches, saw populations increase.

The RSPB said farmers were having success in reversing declines in birds such as lapwings on land that benefits from the higher level stewardship scheme, designed to boost numbers of threatened species. But just 1% of farmland is covered by the higher level scheme, paid for by the EU and the government.