ALLERTON PROJECT - INNOVATIVE FARMING - 25TH ANNIVERSARY | Promoting farmers efforts
Publicising results is one of the key aims of the initiative, letting people know about all the good work that is delivered on farms and through shoots to support farmland birds. We decided that for the third year running we would run a series of three radio days where we promote a story to radio stations across the country and arrange a day of interviews. We did this in September to launch the 2017 count; in February to encourage people to take part and again in April to announce the results. On each day, I visit a studio in London and do the interviews in one ‘sitting’. There is a combination of live and pre-recorded interviews and I’m certainly kept on my toes as not all the interviewers stick to the provided script or topic. These days are a real highlight and it’s a privilege to be able to tell people about farming and wildlife working together. Over the three campaigns there were 68 interviews which reached a total audience of over 21 million listeners. We also did some local media work which included welcoming Ben Jackson from BBC Radio Leicester to the Allerton Project farm during the count week, and also made two TV appearances. We’ve also had 250-plus articles appear in print media, hundreds
Cover crop corner
lanning for wild game always involves looking well ahead and this is very much the case at the Allerton Project. The whole habitat picture needs to be considered, with all elements of nesting cover, nectar flower, flower-rich margins and wild bird seed playing their part through the year. This summer’s wild broods, for example, will depend on the delivery of invertebrates and canopy from the brood-rearing mixtures that were planted last September.
P 25
A key factor during June and July is the need for a varied yet generally sparse canopy that lets in enough light to encourage insects in a damp but warm microclimate. The various strips around the farm have really flourished and as they were autumn-sown, have required minimal management effort. Since the farm is on heavy clay, planting a mixture of cereals, linseed, vetch and kale in early September has brought considerable establishment benefits. Seedbeds are generally good so the farm can drill the brood-rearing mixtures at the same time as their farm crops, which helps to keep things simple and ensures good establishment.
www.gwct.org.uk/allerton th
Anniversary 1992-2017 The Allerton Project
Autumn sown brood-rearing mix in June and in March (inset).
Drilling in the autumn avoids those weeds encountered in the spring when the common issues from fat hen, redshank and creeping thistle come to the fore. Being autumn-sown, these crops need no fertiliser as root systems are well developed and able to scavenge available nutrients.
As well as providing the cover and insect- rich habitat needed, these mixtures will also be delivering for pollinators. This will in turn support a wide range of farmland birds and their hungry broods. With an increase in visitors for the Allerton Project’s 25th Anniversary this year, the visual appeal of these strips will be an added bonus.
Moving into the winter months, the multi- functionality of these crops will then supply an abundance of seed and cover which will support wild and reared game, as well as a wide range of other farmland wildlife species. As the combines start to roll, looking at your shoot or farm to consider where a few strips of autumn sown brood-rearing cover could be established is highly recommended. It could be the simplest, most economical and beneficial feature you establish all year. Richard Barnes - Kings Crops provide detailed agronomy advice and supply seed for the farm’s game cover crops.
GAMEWISE • SUMMER 2017 | 19
of mentions on social media and comments in online articles, plus email updates.
Working together
To top it all off, 22 species from the Red List for Birds of Conservation Concern were recorded, with five appearing in the 25 most commonly seen species list: fieldfares, starlings, house sparrows, song thrushes and yellowhammers. The most abundant of these were the fieldfares and starlings which were seen on over 40% of the farms taking part. None of this would have been possible without the support of our very generous sponsors BASF and our partners the FWAG Association, LEAF (Linking the Environment and Farming), the CLA and the NFU. Planning for next year is already underway but we need farmers, gamekeepers and landowners to take part. Put the date in your diary and make sure you spare 30 minutes between the 9 and 18 February 2018. We can’t shout about the good things being done on farmland unless you help. Hopefully next year you’ll be joined by farmers from Austria, Germany, France and Belgium. The full results for the 2017 count can be found at
www.gwct.org.uk/bfbc.
Top fi ve red listed species
1. Fieldfares 2. Starlings 3. House sparrows 4. Song thrushes 5. Yellowhammers
(From top) Fieldfare, starling, house sparrow. © Peter Thompson
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