Page 14 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

WILD SPRING

Let’s not sugar the pill: many of the lessons this research has taught us, there
MIKE UK’s farmland species are in trouble, may now be signs that we’re finally turning
DILGER and it’s causing a drop in the diversity of a corner towards more wildlife-friendly
our countryside. The last 50 years have
farming methods.
WILDLIFE seen unparalleled levels of agricultural WHEN TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE
intensification. On many arable farms
Timing your visit to farmland is vital –
herbicides and pesticides have been liberally
WATCHING used to massively increase crop yields, while picking a nice day is crucial. While mornings
hedgerows have been uprooted to make way
are undoubtedly best for birds, many
for bigger, more efficient farm machinery.
mammals confine their activity to dawn
On farmland Livestock herds have also grown in size and dusk, particularly those found near
noisier and busier farms.
over the same period and now require more
space and feed, meaning wildlife is being In such a potentially open landscape,
Three quarters of Britain is squeezed out even more. you can easily stand out like a sore thumb,
farmland, but much of it is Following alarm bells sounded by causing wildlife to run away. Using a car
of little interest for wildlife… environmentalists, scientific research has as a mobile hide can be an effective means
unless you know where to helped us understand the ecological damage of getting close to brown hares, a mammal
look. In which case spring can such intense farming has wrought upon our with a justifiable persecution complex as it’s
be an exciting time to explore. agricultural landscape. And thanks to the widely targeted for sport. If you’re on foot,

ng/naturepl.com DILGER’S DOS

/2020VISION/naturepl.com; partr dge: D T p AND DON’TS

DO SUBMIT ANY
INTERESTING
FARMLAND BIRD
SIGHTINGS TO
BIRDTRACK, a British
Trust for Ornithology
citizen science
Hare: Andrew Parkinson/naturepl.com; Hope Farm: A Hay/rspb- mages.com; sky ark: F G
website that tracks
environmental policies’
efects on our birdlife
(bit.ly/2qvBWdM).
DON’T TRESPASS ON
PRIVATE LAND. It’s
easily done in England
and Wales, especially
if you leave footpaths.
Also, keep dogs on
leads around livestock
and close gates
behind you.

14 BBC Wildlife Spring 2018