‘Time to do your bit for the Big Farmland Bird Count’ says Jim

Passionate organiser of the count, Jim Egan is urging farmers, land managers, gamekeepers and all wildlife enthusiasts to spend 30 minutes recording what species they see on their patch of land from February 8 to February 17.

A record-breaking 1,000 people took part in last year’s count, recording 121 species across 950,000 acres.

Jim, who takes on the organisation of the event for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), said: “It would be fantastic to see even more farmers taking part in the count this year.

“Counting birds on a farm is a great way to recognise what species are there, as well as being an opportunity to take time out and see the benefits of such as wild seed mix and supplementary feeding.

“Taking part and submitting results enables us at GWCT to shout about the important conservation work many farmers are doing.”

Running for the sixth successive year, the project is backed by the NFU, who are also this year’s sponsor.

Visit the newly-launched website www.bfbc.org.uk for more information on the birdcount, and to get your count sheet.