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Winter Farmland Birds Survey

Update: Fieldwork in Winter 2001/02 and 2002/03

How would you like to help us to understand how Britain’s birds use farmland in winter? This is the aim of a major three year project being run by the BTO in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The survey will run in the three winters 1999/2000, 2000/01 and 2001/02 and aims to collect information on the following species:

Some of these species have declined significantly as breeding species during recent decades (e.g. Skylark, Tree Sparrow, Song Thrush). In other cases, the species are primarily visitors to farmland in winter (e.g. Golden Plover, Redwing, Fieldfare) and we do not know how their populations are faring. For these species it is very important that we gain information on utilisation of farmland because this can suggest ways to conserve populations. For the remaining species we know little about their ecology on farmland and wish to learn more.

There will be three tiers to the survey - something to suit everyone:

• Visits to randomly selected 1km x 1km squares three times each winter to count farmland birds and record what types of habitat are used and which are avoided. For more information click here
• Details of farmland birds seen during regular visits to an area of the observer’s choice - e.g. where you walk you dog every week. For a copy of the 'Winter Walks' form, click here and then click the Print button on your web browser.
• Casual records of large concentrations of farmland birds seen anywhere during each winter. For a copy of the 'Casual Record Form' click here and then click the Print button on your web browser.

More details of the survey can be found on page 6 of BTO News issue number 222. To take part you need to be able to identify the species listed above. If you would like to take part in the survey, at whatever level, please contact us at

Go to Preliminary Findings

This work was funded by a partnership of the British Trust for Ornithology and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales), and also on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland.