Farmland birds
To thrive farmland birds need three things throughout the year...
- Seed food during the winter and early spring can be supplied by 2ha of seed-rich cover crop or 5ha of overwinter stubble (or a combination of the two) per 100ha. Green stubbles are substantially better than sprayed off stubbles. If a pre-harvest desiccant or post-harvest herbicide is necessary, then the area of stubble will need to double to 10ha per 100ha in order to provide sufficient viable seed for winter food.
- Some farmland birds such as skylarks and lapwings will require in-field nesting habitat in the form of 20 skylark plots or 1ha fallow plots per 100ha. Many other species are catered for with good field margin and boundary management.
- The majority of farmland birds feed their young on insects and therefore a network of insect-rich foraging habitat should be established and maintained across the farm. You should aim for 1ha per 100ha of options such as conservation headlands, cultivated margins and flower-rich margins.
Find out more about making the most of ELS and the Campaign for farm wildlife here. The leaflet is also accompanied by this poster which highlight ELS options and Campaign voluntary measures.
