Award to celebrate farmers who do great things for wildlife gets underway 
But wildlife on farms faces an uncertain year following spending cuts in the EU Budget

The RSPB has this week launched its annual search to find the UK’s most wildlife-friendly farmer.

The Nature of Farming Award celebrates farmers who work hardest to help threatened countryside wildlife, such as skylarks, brown hares, bees, butterflies and plants. It’s run by the RSPB, supported by Butterfly Conservation and Plantlife, and sponsored by The Telegraph.

Last year’s southeast winner and national finalist, Peter Knight, impressed the judges with his South Downs farm in Arundel, which hosts an array of rare birds, mammals and butterflies. 

Mr. Knight said: “It is important to us to achieve a balance between farming commercially alongside a way that encourages wildlife on the farm. 

“The increase in wildlife has been largely down to the implementation of Natural England’s agri-environmental schemes.”

Applications for this year’s award will be accepted until the 18 April. There is always a high volume of entries with numbers increasing year on year and the charity hopes this year will be its best yet.

read more

10 December 2012

The dark clouds gathering overhead this winter are part of an incredible not-to-be-missed wildlife spectacle. 

Flocks of starlings, known as murmurations, are one of the UK’s most impressive winter highlights and can be seen now across the country.  They can involve hundreds of thousands of starlings gathering noisily together at dusk and sweeping across the sky in a huge dark cloud of synchronised flight. 

In the southeast, you can watch one of the biggest of these aerial displays, just off Brighton beach. Thousands of starlings gather and perform their acrobatics around the pier before swooping underneath to roost for the night.

Samantha Stokes, RSPB South East media officer, said: “The starling roost is a mesmerising natural spectacle and so easy to see. People come to Brighton especially to watch the Starlings swirling around the pier, and you can always tie it in with a spot of Christmas shopping.

“It’s like clockwork – you know that these black clouds will start to appear around dusk. Watching thousands of starlings move across the sky as one is such an unforgettable experience, it’s really magical to watch as more birds join the flock and it grows in size. Then you’ll notice small groups breaking away as they take it in turns to dive under the pier.”

The huge gatherings are at their largest in winter, peaking in December, as they are boosted by thousands of migrant birds visiting from the European continent for Britain's milder Atlantic climate.

read more