UK bird count points to farmers’ vital role

Nearly 360,000 birds representing 125 species were recorded in this year’s Big Farmland Bird Count, the annual survey run by the GWCT and sponsored by the NFU.

More than 1,000 farmers, gamekeepers and land managers took part in February, counting birds across 699,869 acres – roughly the size of Dorset. The results show both successes and setbacks in UK farmland conservation.

There was good news for kestrels, with sightings up 182%, but fieldfares fell by 52%, long-tailed tits by 27% and curlews by 25% compared to last year. Red-listed species remain a concern, with nearly 146,000 birds counted from these most at-risk populations.

Agri-environment schemes

Farmer-led conservation remains crucial. Two-thirds of participating farms are enrolled in agri-environment schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with nearly half providing winter feeding and planting wild bird seed mixes. Since 1970, farmland bird populations have declined 61%, largely due to habitat loss and intensification in the 1970s and 1980s.

Government support is vital, yet uncertain. The SFI remains funded through 2029, but closed to new applicants in March 2025. Thousands of Countryside Stewardship agreements also expire at the end of this year, leaving farms unsure whether support will continue in 2026.

GWCT director calls for government reassurance

Roger Draycott, GWCT director of advisory and education, warned: “Several thousand Countryside Stewardship agreements expire on 31 December – thousands of hectares of valuable habitat could be lost unless government provides urgent reassurance to these farms that SFI will be available next year.”

At the start of 2025, England had 32,200 active SFI agreements, up 23% since October. In the bird count, only 14% of Welsh farms were in conservation schemes compared to 29% in Scotland.

Draycott added: “Our farmland birds continue to decline nationally, and we will only reverse that trend if farmers – who manage 72% of the UK’s countryside – are encouraged and properly funded to implement conservation measures.”