Rare birds continue to flock to Belvoir Farm in Bottesford as part of conservation project
A conservation project that a farm has been involved with continues to see rare birds flock to it.
Belvoir Farm, based in Bottesford, got involved with The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's Big Farmland Bird Count in 2022, a project which aims to drive awareness at farms across the UK and create healthier environment for declining wild bird species.
In February this year, Keith Challen, Belvoir Farm manager, and Ben Larter, an ornithology expert who lives on the estate, conducted a second count as part of the 2023 campaign.
Mr Challen said: "It’s great to see that our ongoing bird conservation programme has continued to be successful and, in many cases, we’ve recorded more of the rare species, particularly the Cuckoo.
"The project has helped provide habitat friendly areas for so many different species of bird and the results have also allowed for more scattered grazing for deer and hares."
Birds discovered in February's count included the Yellow Hammer, Reed Bunting and Chaffinch.
Several rare birds were also spotted this year with the increased appearance of the Grey Partridge, Willow Warbler and Cuckoo.
The second count in the 2023 campaign involved almost 1,500 farmers taking part across the country. They spotted 130 species across 1.5 million acres of the UK.
For almost 40 years, Belvoir Farm has produced cordials and sparkling drinks on its family farm.
Through this, Keith has taken a nature friendly farming approach.
Dr Roger Draycott, GWCT head of advisory and who runs the Big Farmland Bird Count, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part for demonstrating that farmers and land managers can lead the way in protecting our countryside alongside effective food production.
“Every count submitted helps us to build a detailed national picture of the state of Britain’s farmland birds, allowing us to better understand what is really going on in our countryside.
The GWCT Big Farmland Big Count first began in 2014.
