Hedges on farms need trimming regularly to encourage them to grow densely and to stop them growing into the field, reducing the land available for cropping.

Typically, a British hedge would have Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Field Maple, Beech and Privet growing in it. Each plant attracts different nesting birds:

Hawthorn - Blackbirds, Thrushes and Bullfinches.
Blackthorn - Song Thrushes, Yellow Hammers and White Throats.
Field Maple - Chaffinches, Dunnocks and Robins.
Beech - Great Tits, Blue Tits and Black Caps.
Privet - Blackbirds, Sparrows and Wrens.

So as not to disturb nesting birds, hedges are not allowed to be cut from 1st march until 1st September.
So only 3 days to go until the flail is put away until next year!


 

WHY ARE WE COUNTING?
This important initiative offers a simple means of recording the effect of any conservation schemes currently being initiated by farmers and gamekeepers on their land.

HOW TO TAKE PART
The 2024 Big Farmland Bird Count is taking place between the 2nd and 18th February 2024

Just follow the three simple steps below to take part:

1. Download your count sheet

• Those who participate in the count in February 2024 will be able to submit their entries online.

• To help with the count out in the field you can download and print our helpful count sheet at https://www.bfbc.org.uk/take-part/how-to-take-part/

Open Farm Sun­day, man­aged by LEAF (Link­ing Envi­ron­ment And Farm­ing), is one of the farm­ing industry’s biggest suc­cess sto­ries. Since the first Open Farm Sun­day in 2006, over 1600 farm­ers across the UK have opened their gates and wel­comed over 2.7 mil­lion peo­ple onto farms for one Sun­day each year.

It is a fan­tas­tic oppor­tu­ni­ty for every­one, young and old, to dis­cov­er at first hand what it means to be a farmer and the fab­u­lous work they do pro­duc­ing our food, enhanc­ing the coun­try­side and all the goods and ser­vices farm­ers provide.

Each event is unique based around the farm’s indi­vid­ual sto­ry. Activ­i­ties dur­ing the day may include a farm walk, nature trail, trac­tor and trail­er rides, demon­stra­tions, activ­i­ties for chil­dren or a mini farm­ers mar­ket. 

So get the date in the diary, brush off your wellies and we will see you in June!