As members of Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme, we take looking after our environment and preserving the character of the Yorkshire Wolds very seriously, so we were delighted to be asked to be part of the RSPB’s Yorkshire Wolds and Coast Focus Area project.

The project, in partnership with Natural England and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CPE), involves farms across the Yorkshire Wolds and Coast due to the area’s excellent habitats for wildlife and its potential for helping boost the declining population of some farmland bird species.

As part of the project, RSPB volunteers have been visiting the farm regularly over a number of years to survey our fields to identify which bird species are present, focussing particularly on certain species which are in decline.

On the latest visit last month, we’re delighted to say that they spotted nine of the 10 target species: Corn Bunting, Lapwing, Linnet, Grey Partridge, Reed Bunting, Skylark, Tree Sparrow, Yellow Wagtail and Yellow Hammer.

Twenty-five other species were spotted around the farm including the Rook, Buzzard, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw, Whitethroat, Long Tailed Tit, Pied Wagtail, Collared Dove, Coal Tit, Starling, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Swallow, Herring Gull, Meadow Pipit and Goldfinch.

We’ve been working hard around the farm to promote a habitat that is favourable for these wild birds, including sowing five patches of winter bird feed over nine acres of land. So we’re delighted to find that it’s paying off.