Big Bird Count results

THE results of this year’s GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count show that agri-environment schemes are needed, say the organisers. Run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) since 2024, the project encourages farmers and land owners to go out and count the species and number of birds on their land during a two-week window in February every year. And 72 Scottish farmers and land managers this year counted a total of 13,345 birds, belonging to 97 species. The most abundant species recorded were wood pigeon, jackdaw, chaffinch (above) and rook. GWCT’s director for Scotland Nick Hesford said: “We were delighted to see so many farmers taking part, and we would encourage many more to come onboard next year. “Our farmland birds continue to decline and we will only reverse that trend if farmers, who manage more than 70 per cent of the countryside, are encouraged and properly funded to implement conservation measures on their land.”