Surveys 

We have some budget allocated for survey work over the three years and this summer some members were able to have Corn Bunting Surveys. The results are still being analysed but I have plotted records  - click the map to the right. 

Each pinpoint is a record of a singing bird and the different colours denote different visit dates. Please remember that birds move about ( a lot obviously!) and though surveyors try not to record the same bird twice on the same visit , there is inevitably double recording. You need to do a minimum of three visits before you can really start to determine the number of territory holding males. What the map does show is that there was a lot of activity on the first visits and far less on the second. On one farm, there was no recorded activity on the second visit and this was most likely because the area had been harvested. 

Corn Buntings nest on the ground in cereals, preferring barley. It is a late nester, nesting well into August and the loss of habitat at this time can be catastrophic both to nests and chicks. Leaving unharvested areas and providing areas of insect rich habitat can be a game changer and can be done through Countryside Stewardship. Once you add on the species supplement which is available if you are in a target area, then the figures really start to add up.