Farmers have been credited with reversing the decline in reed buntings in Cambridgeshire. Experts have said that replenished numbers of reed buntings are in a large part thanks to farmers, who have provided winter food for the birds

1,000 reed buntings were counted in one day at RSPB Fowlmere this month, up from just 100 in 2006. Numbers of the bird fell to their lowest level since 2006 last year, which The British Trust for Ornithology blamed on the winter cold snap. The cold weather led to a 23 per cent decline in the birds in 2011.

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RSPB farmland advisor Richard Winspear said, “We were really excited when we heard about this reed bunting roost, I have never seen so many in one place before. These birds are obviously spending the day feeding in the surrounding countryside and are congregating at the reed bed at night where there is ideal habitat for them and safety in numbers.

 “There are several farmers in the area who want to do their bit for nature and one of the measures they have taken is planting patches of wild bird seed mix. This provides vital winter food for seed eating birds like reed buntings, corn buntings, yellowhammers and linnet.”

Robert Law, one of the local farmers whose seed mixes helped sustain the bunting population, said, "I believe it is vital that farmers manage their land with wildlife in mind. We are custodians of the countryside and we have a duty to ensure there is always space for nature."

RSPB advisor Mr Winspear added, that conservation minded farming methods are "backed by rigorous scientific evidence." He pointed out that methods which provide benefits for biodiversity increase the health and resilience of the farming system. The RSPB is trialling a variety of wildlife and conservation-friendly agriculture measures on its own farmland in Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire. The charity has reported great successes at no cost to productivity.

Last year, a report from the BTO revealed that farmland bird populations have declined by 48 per cent since 1970, and that butterfly populations have declined by a similar amount. Mr Winspear said, "If there were more of these measures in our countryside then we could reverse farmland bird declines."

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