FARMERS and gamekeepers in Cumbria are being encouraged to joined thousands across the country in next month's Big Farmland Bird Count.

Organisers were encouraged that there was a good response from farmers in the county when a bird identification day was held earlier this month at Brackenburgh Home Farms, Calthwaite, near Penrith. The day was led by expert birders Paul Arket and Suemus Eaves in conjunction with local farmer James Turner. It is hoped farmers who attended will now have more confidence in recognising the birds on their land.

More than 1,400 farmers across the country have registered to take part in the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) second Big Farmland Bird Count, which will take place between February 7 and 15.

Jim Egan, from the GWCT, said: “We are thrilled that so many farmers are keen to take part in this ambitious survey. It is often underestimated how much good conservation work is being carried out on UK farmland to help our threatened bird species.

"The Big Farmland Bird Count is an excellent way for farmers to demonstrate the wide range of conservation management that is now taking place on UK farmland for the benefit of many declining bird species such as starling, grey partridge and yellowhammer.”

February is one of the leanest times of year for farmland birds because there is very little spilt grain or berries left for hungry birds to feed on to help them survive. However, last year’s Big Farmland Bird Count revealed that more than 60 per cent of farmers taking part in the survey were providing huge amounts of additional food either by wild seed mixes, hopper feeding or by scattering grain on the ground.

Explaining the reason behind the survey, Jim Egan said: “Although a lot of conservation work is being carried out behind the scenes, it is crucial that farmers understand how these vital ‘greening’ measures are helping some of our most rapidly declining birds and importantly, what species are benefitting from these measures.

"Having a better understanding of what is working well is hugely important as it will help farmers to target their work for farmland bird recovery more accurately.”

During the count farmers and gamekeepers will be invited to spend half an hour recording the species and number of birds seen on one area of the farm. Once the sightings have been recorded they should be emailed or posted to the GWCT at www.gwct.org.uk/bfbc.

For those interested in taking part, the GWCT is providing a simple tick sheet that can be downloaded from its website and taken into the field to record any sightings. The results of the 2015 Big Farmland Bird Count will be announced in early spring.

To download count forms, visit: www.gwct.org.uk/BFBC or call: 01425 651000.