More than 900 farmers have now registered to take part in the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's Big Farmland Bird Count taking place this week between 1 – 7th February across the UK.

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In the vanguard of those keen to count their birds this week was Henry Lang, who was one of the first to submit the results from his 1,000 acre commercial farm at Curry Rivel, Somerset this weekend. 

In just half an hour, Henry Lang managed to locate an impressive range of birds on a 5 acre wheat field on his farm. The field, which is surrounded by 6 metre grass margins, excellent hedges and wild bird seed crops proved a haven for wild birds and the count in this small area revealed flocks of 60 fieldfares, 20 starlings as well as blackbirds, wren, blue tit, reed buntings, song thrush, dunnock, pied wagtail, goldfinch, grey partridge and two tiny goldcrests - one of the UK's smallest bird species.

Peter Thompson, the GWCT's farmland Biodiversity Advisor, commented, "Henry showed that, although he runs a profitable commercial farming operation, wild birds are thriving because of the wildlife habitats that have been incorporated in blocks around the farm together with supplementary over-winter feeding. Henry is particularly proud of his 40 acres of wild flower meadows, which are now encouraging the spread of species such as marble white butterflies to different areas on his land. In addition Henry has established 48km of 6 metre grass margins as well as recent planting of 14,000 new native trees and shrubs."

For those interested in taking part in the Big Farmland Bird Count, the GWCT is providing a simple tick sheet that can be downloaded and taken into the field to record any sightings. Participants are able to send the results either via a dedicated web page or through the post. The GWCT is inviting people to spend about half an hour recording the species and number of birds seen on one area of the farm.

According to GWCT’s Peter Thompson, as "Farmers play a crucial role in the survival of farmland birds… it is vital to understand how [conservation] measures are helping some of our most rapidly declining birds and importantly, which species are benefiting most."

A pilot count in 2013, covering more than 10,000 hectares across 30 farms recorded 69 species, from tree sparrows and yellowhammer to barn owls, kestrels and buzzards. Even so, figures show that farmland bird species have been in decline for decades. Although generalists, which can survive on different types of land, are faring well and their numbers have increased in some species, specialist birds (such as tree sparrows, corn buntings and grey partridges), which have adapted to certain types of land, have suffered steep population declines.

Published in October 2013, the latest Farmland Bird Index – the official record of bird populations in the UK – showed that farmland birds had declined by eight percent over the past five years. The Index measures numbers of 19 species of farmland birds. Some species, such as turtle doves, have declined by as much as 95 percent since 1970. However, the British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB said declines appear to have slowed in recent years.

The Count has been backed by LEAF, NFU and Soil Association amongst others. More information is available from the Trust here.