There's no farmland birds anymore

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Spent 10 minutes this morning at 8.30 listening and watching Skylarks in fallow fields to rear of village. Way up in sky singing to mark territory, then dive bombing to ground. Quite fascinating. The local large estate has an area of enhanced overwinter stubble under CSS and it is popular with Skylarks.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Bollix.
I'm getting deafened by skylarks!
And I can't qualify for SFI with my current farm system!
A short video I took outside my grainstore this morning.
Couldn't actually focus on any but by God they're noisy buggers.

Yep, that was me too this morning. Wonder if it is time of year for this high up in sky singing. Is really irritating when the 'experts' say there are no skylarks or some other species but I see them every day. Hares is another species that is oft talked about, yet I trip over them, literally, every day as I am out around crops,
 
I’ve been spending 7-8 weeks every June-July field walking and soil sampling for 20 years.

There is, without a doubt, way more wildlife around than there was 20 years ago, and I couldn’t understand the constant “modern farming is killing wildlife “ crap back then.

Those who insist that species numbers are disappearing fast obviously don’t spend much time outside.
 

thorpe

Member
I’ve been spending 7-8 weeks every June-July field walking and soil sampling for 20 years.

There is, without a doubt, way more wildlife around than there was 20 years ago, and I couldn’t understand the constant “modern farming is killing wildlife “ crap back then.

Those who insist that species numbers are disappearing fast obviously don’t spend much time outside.
agree
 
We have plenty of birds about the place . Trouble is that they're mostly the wrong sort . Jackdaws mostly . They've built a nest in one of my unused chimneys , and one came down , pushed off the vent panel and did a tour of the house . made an absolute mess everywhere . THAT one won't be doing it again . A few woodies , a few maggies , and getting to have too many pheasant now . Swallows , blackbirds , robins , wrens , pied wagtails , all seem to keep a steady presence year on year . We always have a few curlew up on the moor , and we always used to have an abundance of skylarks , but I haven't heard any for a few years . A regular green woodpecker , and just a few jays , but no thrushes . We also seem to have a thriving "charm " of goldfinches, regularly seen drinking or bathing in a small spring outflow , or of course stuffing themselves with seeds .
 

Sals dad

Member
Location
Wrexham
was ploughing for maize some weeks ago and had 21 buzzards ,1 kite as well as usual amount of gulls etc , poor lapwing chicks were an easy meal , lots of skylarks in the tramlines at the moment as well as swallows skimming the crops
 

thorpe

Member
was ploughing for maize some weeks ago and had 21 buzzards ,1 kite as well as usual amount of gulls etc , poor lapwing chicks were an easy meal , lots of skylarks in the tramlines at the moment as well as swallows skimming the crops
the first bits sh!t the second bits luv . it all sounds like round here!
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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