How a Lincolnshire farmer is monitoring bird populations that call his land home

Jon Thornes, who runs the South Ormsby Estate in the Lincolnshire Wolds, situated between Louth and Horncastle, has set up monitoring stations across his mixed organic farm to track bird populations.

These stations capture the sounds of birds across the 3,000 acre estate, which supports native-breed livestock such as Lincoln Red cattle and Norfolk Black turkeys, as well as crops such as wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape.

For Jon, it is important to know how many birds and which species are present on his farm so he can tailor his agricultural practices to further promote biodiversity and ensure nature thrives on the site alongside food production.

Jon said: “The goal of this monitoring is to create a baseline that we can measure against going forward. I want to implement more bird-friendly initiatives across the farm.

“By taking these measurements, we can clearly see the tangible impact of practices like organic farming, re-establishing hedgerows and creating smaller fields. It’s something I’d like to see more farmers doing.

Jon also highlights the importance of this initiative, especially in the broader context of farming practices that often focus on soil carbon or nitrogen levels.

“While those measures are extremely important, what I particularly like about this project is how easy it is for people to understand what we are doing for nature on our farm. It’s something I can easily share with my staff or visitors to the farm, who are always excited about how many different birds they might see or hear.”

Jon is confident that the South Ormsby Estate hosts over 100 bird species, having already recorded 89 species near his farmhouse garden alone.

He is using a PUC device to measure avian activity across his farm, feeding the results into BirdWeather, an international citizen science platform which uses the latest technology to monitor and record bird sounds around the globe. Measurements are carried out around the clock. There are currently six monitoring stations across the South Ormsby estate, an expansion from just the one originally. Jon hopes eventually to have 10 monitoring stations across his land tracking birds.

As a member of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) and one of its Farming Champions, Jon actively advocates for an approach to agriculture that balances food production with protecting nature and the environment.

His cattle are exclusively fed on grass and forage, while grazing in a rotational system, allowing the land enough time to recover. Arable crops are also grown in rotation together with cover crops to nurture the health of the soil and support nature.