Big farmland bird count gears up for 2024

Farmers are being encouraged to take part in this month’s Big Farmland Bird Count – and provide a vital snapshot of the health of Britain’s cherished farmland birds.

The annual nationwide survey takes place from 2-18 February. It raises awareness of the role farmers play in the farmland bird conservation – and measures the impact of the conservation work carried out by farmers and land managers.

Farmers taking part in the count are asked to spend 30 minutes recording the bird species they see on their land as part of the survey. Results help to identify any species which are struggling and which are doing well.

Increasing biodiversity

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the bird count, which is organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), and sponsored by the NFU.

Since 2014, nearly 13,000 counts have been carried out by people working on the land.

“Farmland birds have declined by 63% since 1970 and desperately need our help,” says the GWCT’s Roger Draycott. “The key to increasing biodiversity and reversing the decline in wildlife is held by those looking after this land.”

The count is a simple way for farmers to assess the natural capital on farm, an increasing requirement under the government’s Environmental Land Management scheme, and to chart the effects of any conservation they carry out.

NFU President Minette Batters describes farmers and growers as “the custodians of the great British countryside [who] work hard to boost biodiversity, create habitats for wildlife and provide additional feeding for farmland birds.

“I would encourage as many farmers and growers as possible to participate in the 2024 count, record how many farmland bird species you spot on farm and, importantly, submit your results to GWCT.”

For details, visit www.bfbc.org.uk

Halls backs a winner with chartered rural surveyor

A chartered rural surveyor and amateur jockey has returned home to Worcestershire with the aim of growing the estate management department at a leading regional business.

John Smith-Maxwell, 27, has joined Halls and will be based at the company’s Kidderminster office, which is managed by director Sarah Hulland.

In addition to his role as a chartered rural surveyor, Mr Smith-Maxwell will help his parents to run their 200ha beef and arable farm at Hanbury, near Droitwich and continue to compete as a point-to-point jockey, sponsored by Halls.

A graduate of the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, he worked for Rendells and Stags in Devon, where he specialised in estate management and valuations, before joining Halls at the start of 2024.

Mr Smith-Maxwell is Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV). He said: “This is an excellent opportunity to continue developing my career in the West Midlands.

Having made his Cheltenham Festival debut in 2020, Mr Smith-Maxwell won the Lord Ashton of Hyde Men’s Open, a Point-to-Point ‘Classic’, at Cocklebarrow in 2020, riding a horse trained by his sister and owned by his mother, Katherine.