The Welsh Farmland Bird Initiative: Overwinter feeding of farmland birds to reverse biodiversity decline on productive pasture-based farms

There are many opportunities within pasture based farming that could help reverse the decline of farmland birds. In this two and a half year project one dairy farmer in Denbighshire and one sheep farmer in Conwy will be working closely with The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) to investigate whether providing over winter habitat and over winter supplementary feeding can help boost farmland bird numbers.

At the beginning of the project careful consideration will be given as to which cover crop to use on each farm and also their placement. These cover crops are designed to meet the needs of each farm, and also deliver over-winter food for seed eating farmland birds and provide cover from predators and adverse weather for a host of other wildlife. Bird feeding stations will also be set up across both farms which will provide supplementary feed for the birds over the winter. Supplementary feeding will hopefully decrease winter mortality and ensure a higher adult breeding population in the following spring. Surveys will then be undertaken throughout the project to record bird and also pollinator numbers to analyse the effects of these approaches.