Big Farmland Bird Count - the national annual census of Britain’s farmland birds

By Eleanor Williams, Communications Officer

The UK’s farmland birds have been in decline for the past 50 years – since the 1970s we have lost 63% of them, or 70 million birds.

So what can we do to help them?

First we need to understand what species are present, where they prefer to live and which conservation and habit management measures benefit them most. This is where the Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) comes in. The concept for an annual nationwide survey was hatched by conservationists working for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) at our demonstration farm, the Allerton Project, over a decade ago. It has now been running every year since 2014, with the support of the NFU (National Farmers Union).

The BFBC works like the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch – but instead of residents counting bird in their gardens, it asks farmers, land managers and conservationists to count the birds they see in their fields up and down the country.

To take part, they have to spend half an hour in or on the edge of a field counting what species of birds and how many of each they see. The BFBC runs for two weeks, this year from 6th to 22nd February.

For the past decade the data gathered has helped us understand which species of farmland birds are in the most serious trouble and how we can help them.

During the winter months and early spring, a time often referred to as the ‘hungry gap', when food is scarce and temperatures drop, many farmland birds struggle to survive. We know that supplementary feeding, wild bird seed mixes, wider field margins and sympathetic hedgerow management do help them, and the BFBC offers a way of showing and proving that they do.

Farmland birds such as red-listed skylarks, yellowhammers, linnets, and grey partridges, are sensitive indicators of wider biodiversity health in agricultural landscapes. If they are present and thriving, it signals a healthy and functioning ecosystem. Their response to management changes also helps us understand how wildlife more widely is impacted. These indicator species have all declined in numbers – in fact more than 60% of all farmland bird species have seen a drop in numbers and they need our help if we are going to reverse the trend.

The key to doing this, and increasing biodiversity, is held by the people who are responsible for the 72% of the UK’s land which is used for agriculture. If we can show that the conservation work farmers and land managers are doing is leading to increases in bird numbers, we can prove their efforts are paying off.

Therefore, as well as offering a snapshot of the bird population, the BFBC raises awareness of the important role that our farmers play in the conservation of our native farmland birds, alongside producing food for 70 million consumers.

GWTC research shaping government policy

Through research at the Allerton Project – the GWCT’s demonstration farm at Loddington in Leicestershire – we have shown that a combination of habitat management and creation, winter feeding and legal predator control are all vital elements of songbird conservation, forming a ‘three-legged stool’ approach to effective landscape management.

This approach led to the number of songbirds on the farm increasing by some 150% in the first eight years of our management after we took it over in 1992.

Much of that research at Loddington has led to the development of agri-environment scheme options that are now adopted on farms across the country, such as beetle banks and supplementary winter feeding. We estimate that some 80% of the habitat options in the modern agri-environment handbook are derived at least in part from research carried out by the GWCT.

To demonstrate that conservation measures are working, keeping regular records of work and the species and numbers of birds on the land are vital. This helps us to prove that agri-environmental schemes do not only help farmland birds recover, but are also crucial if Government wants to meet its target of halting the decline in nature by 2030.

Farmers and land managers can and do play their part in reversing these declines but they need to be properly funded and supported to do so. The BFBC can show that the continuation of agri-environment schemes do offer value for public money.

The GWCT is also encouraging agricultural colleges and universities to get involved with the BFBC by teaming up with farmers and landowners to help carry out counts.

Another feature of the count in 2026 will be its new digital platform. The results are now being recorded on the PerdixPro Fieldbook app, which can be downloaded onto any mobile phone or tablet. Farmers, rangers, gamekeepers, students, ornithologists and other bird enthusiasts taking part can easily input their counts instantly out in the field, or note them down and submit them once back inside the warmth of their home.

All the details of how to take part, bird identification guides, how to download the app and count sheets, can be found at the BFBC’s dedicated website: bfbc.org.uk

How to take part in the Big Farmland Bird Count

Signing up for the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is free and no specialist knowledge or equipment are required, just the willingness to spend half an hour on the edge of a field to observe the birds around you. You do not have to be an expert and there are many useful tools, such as the free Merlin Bird ID app that can be used.

In many places, local bird and wildlife groups are working with farmers and land managers to help them do the count. Why not contact your local ornithological group to see if they can help.

1. Download the PERDIXPro Fieldbook app, or print off a count sheet. Head out and pick an area of the farm where you know birds like to gather.
2. Pick a day between 6 and 22 February.
3. Bring a pair of binoculars and pick a spot on the edge of the field and out of the wind where you have a better chance of spotting more birds. Being near a hedgerow can be useful as many farmland birds will seek cover in hedges.
4. Count your birds! Spend about 30 minutes recording both the species and number of birds seen on your chosen area of the farm.
5. Once you've completed your count, simply submit your results through the app, or post them to us. If submitting through the app you can also have your own results emailed to you as a PDF or Excel document.

Bird ID guides, instructions, link to app, printable count sheets, are available at the BFBC website.

Eleanor Williams organises the annual Big Farmland Bird Count for the GWCT and is passionate about wildlife conservation, rural life and the British countryside.

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