The UK’s farmland birds have sufferedsignificant declines in the last 30years, largely due to improvementsin agriculture efficiency. Once-common birds have declined eg inScotland, the corn bunting’sbreeding range may have declined by60%. Agricultural intensification hasresulted in fewer weeds, with the loss of their associated insects andseeds, and fewer over-winterstubbles. These changes are mostapparent in grassland livestocksystems and in intensive, arableareas, where autumn sowingpredominates. Mixed farming canhave particular benefits for farmlandbirds, but it too has declined.

Wild bird cover is also called wildbird seed mixtures, orunharvested crops. It involvessowing a mixture of seed bearingplants, recreating habitats thatwere once common on manyfarms. Like the traditional gamecrops used on sporting estatesand farms, it acts as a giantbirdtable, providing insects andseeds throughout the year.

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WBC is an option (wild bird seedmix/unharvested crops), in RuralDevelopment Contracts and isavailable both in the landmanagers options and ruralpriorities.

Birds that benefit from WBCinclude grey partridges, songthrushes, house sparrows, treesparrows, linnets, twites,yellowhammers, reed buntings,corn buntings, barn owls andkestrels. Brown hares use thecrop and bats hunt over it, insearch of insects. If the covercontains weeds, it can supportwild flowers, many of which havedeclined considerably on arable land.

BENEFITS FOR WILDLIFEAbove:Wild bird cover acts as a giantbirdtable, providing insects and seedsfor birds to eat throughout the year.

GUIDELINES OVERLEAF

Grey partridge

WHATBIRDS NEED

Most farmland birds depend on seeds during thewinter. Skylarks, sparrows and buntings can eatcereal grains, but some other species aredependant on smaller seeds of various plants.The seeds of plants such as charlock, fat hen,knotgrass and redshank, and of various wildgrasses, are important components of farmlandbirds’ diet. Some of the cultivated crops includedin WBC, such as quinoa, imitate this type of seed.

If weeds are numerous, WBC supports moreinsects than weed-free conventional crops, asmany insects depend on particular weeds. Mostfarmland bird chicks are fed on insects beforethey fledge and switch to a seed-based diet.Aswell as providing food, WBC offers shelter andprotection from predators. It can also providenest sites for birds including corn buntings.

Rural Development Contracts allow plots of up to2ha. If for example, between two and five plotsof 0.5 ha were established per 100 ha, a plentifulsupply of seed could be made availabe aroundthe farm.

MANAGEMENT

Try to establish areas of WBC each year. Amosaic of cover of varying ages helps to ensurethat food and cover are available all year round.Incorn buntings areas one-year cereal-basedmixes should be established.

Birds can still be helped when it is time toreplace the WBC with a crop. If cover is ploughedinand the ground prepared to a fine tilth, largequantities of seed will be revealed. If possible,leave these areas for a while before sowing, sothat birds can feed on this rich seed source.

KEY POINTS•Sow a mixture suitable for

your farm type and thefarmland birds in your area.

•Where corn buntings arepresent, sow a one-year mixfor corn buntings(seeSuitable mixessection).

•Where two-year mixes areused, establish an areaevery year, to ensure thatbirds always benefit fromthe seed-rich first year.

Front cover picture: wild bird cover byJonathan Osborne (RSPB), greypartridge by Gordon Langsbury , cornbunting by Gerald Downey. Backpage: song thrush by Chris Gomersalland yellowhammer by Andy Hay (allrspb-images.com)The Royal Society for the Protectionof Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity:England and Wales no 207076,Scotland no SC037654775-0140-09-10

Corn bunting

SOWING

All components of the mix should be sown intothe same ground. It is best to sow the cerealcomponent separately, but the components canbe mixed together and direct-drilled. You canbroadcast the mix instead – but increase thesowing rate by one third to allow for wastage.Small seeds such as linseed may benefit fromseparate broadcasting onto previously rolledground after the other components have beensown. Rolling the ground again afterwards oftenproduces better results than harrowing. Kale is amore demanding crop; it generally needsfertiliser to establish. The use of farmyardmanure is an effective fertiliser and adds value byincreasing weed and invertebrate numbers.

The Advisory Manager, RSPB Scotland, Dunedin House,25Ravelston Terrace, EdinburghEH4 3TP Tel: 0131 311 6500

SAC (Scottish AgriculturalCollege), King's Buildings, WestMains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG Tel: 0131 535 4000

NFU Scotland, Head Office, RuralCentre - West Mains, Ingliston,Midlothian EH28 8LT Tel: 0131 472 4000

Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road,Inverness, IV3 8NW Tel: 01463 725000

You can get further information on this and other ways of managing your farm for wildlife from:

See also the RSPB Scotlandadvisory sheets on:

•corn bunting•yellowhammer•tree sparrow•linnet•reed bunting

For answers to all of your farmwildlife enquiries, visitwww.farmwildlife.info

RSPB Scotland is part of theRSPB, the UK charity that speaksout for birds and wildlife, tacklingthe problems that threaten ourenvironment. Nature is amazing –help us keep it that way.

SUITABLE MIXES

Cereals are a major component of WBC mixes. Oats and/orbarley are generally used. Larger buntings benefit frombarley grains, whilst smaller farmland birds prefer oats,which also have the advantage of being easier to establishon poor soils. Triticale is used in some game crops, butsmall finches cannot eat its large seed. It is, however, moreresistant to rabbit grazing than other cereals and its stiffstraw stands through the winter.

Linseed generally attracts finches, particularly goldfinches.The elevated heads can hold seed throughout the winter onwhich goldfinches feed in a typical hanging manner.

If the crop is to be retained for two years, it should containa biennial. Kale is the most commonly used, and you cancombine several varieties to provide different canopyheights and insurance against one variety failing due to

Suggested seed mixtures forwild-bird-cover

Two-year mix

kg per haOats 20Barley 20Kale, Merlin 1Kale, Maris Kestrel 1Kale, Keeper 1Quinoa 1Spring oil-seed rape 0.5Mustard 0.5Clover, red, broadleaved Merviot 0.5Clover, red, late-flowering Altaswede 0.5Total 46Cost: approx. £70 per ha

One-year mix

kg per haOats 35Barley 35Quinoa 1.5Spring oil-seed rape 1Mustard 0.75Clover, red, broadleaved Merviot 0.5Total 73.75Cost: approx. £48 per ha

One-year mix for poor ground

This mix is suited to land that has been in set-aside or out of production for several years and is low infertility and lime. It can be established where othermore demanding crops sush as kale and quinoa would fail.

kg per haOats 30Linseed 30Oil-seed rape, Molino 0.5Mustard 0.75Total 61.25Cost: approx. £58 per ha

One-year mix for corn bunting areas

kg per haTriticale 16barley 15oats 15linseed 2red clover 1Total 49Cost: approx. £44 per haSeed mixes can be obtained from local agricultural seedmerchants or from specialist seed merchants, who alsohave useful websites, brochures and advice on a rangeof mixes, eg wwwkingscrop.co.uk,wwwcotswoldseeds.com www.welchseeds.co.uk

Pros and cons of one- and two-year mixes

One-year mixesAdvantages• A plentiful supply of seeds each winter• Easier to establish, particularly on poor ground where

kale would fail• Benefits grain-eating birds such as corn buntings• Less weed build up than two-year mixDisadvantages• More expensive as ground needs to be cultivated and

sown each year• Less cover due to the absence of kale

Two-year mixesAdvantages• Good cover and protection from predators under

canopy of kale, creates bare ground for invertebrates,providing food for birds such as partridge and songthrush

• Cheaper as cultivation and seed costs are onlyincurred every other year

Disadvantages• Less seeds in second winter, particularly of cereals,

so less valuable for grain-eating birds• Greater weed build-up as ground is left uncultivated

for two years. Not recommended for organic systemswhere herbicides cannot be used

• Kale is vulnerable to a range of pests and diseases –club root, flea beetle, slugs, pigeons and deer

• Kale stems are woody and difficult to plough down,and may need to be grazed or cut first.

Song thrush

club root or other factors. Thousand-headed kale is widelyused in Scotland, while Caledonian kale is particularlyresistant to club root. Rules on fertiliser applications shouldbe checked and may limit the success of kale.

Quinoa is a giant form of fat hen. It produces abundantseeds, attracting large numbers of birds. It is a tall, strikingplant, but does not withstand the winter.

Oil seed rape (OSR) is often included in WBC mixes becauseit is cheap and the oily, protein-rich seeds are favoured bymost finch species – particularly linnets, twites andgoldfinches.

In vegetable growing areas, where club root may be anissue, brassicas can be subsituted for inseed and clover.

LOCATION

Traditionally, game cover crops are located alongwoodland edges and next to hedges, dykes and other fieldboundaries. This attracts species such as the song thrush,tree sparrow, yellowhammer and grey partridge. Otherspecies will benefit from a different location. Corn buntingsrequire some nearby cover, but not dense woodland.Isolated trees or overhead wires can provide a suitableretreat and songpost next to the cover crop. Skylarks tendto avoid boundary structures, preferring more openlandscapes. Siting some areas of WBC away from hedgesand trees will cater for this species.

Yellowhammer

Game cover crops are often established in numerous smallstrips, which suits the dispersed foraging of game birds.Some small birds, however, form large flocks in the winterand may prefer fewer larger blocks of WBC. Forming flockshelps birds by increasing their chances of evadingpredators. It allows them to feed effectively, as each birdneeds to spend less time watching out for predators. Bothstrips and blocks of cover have their merits, so the mostappropriate for individual holdings should be chosen andadvice sought if necessary.

The UK’s farmland birds have sufferedsignificant declines in the last 30years, largely due to improvementsin agriculture efficiency. Once-common birds have declined eg inScotland, the corn bunting’sbreeding range may have declined by60%. Agricultural intensification hasresulted in fewer weeds, with the loss of their associated insects andseeds, and fewer over-winterstubbles. These changes are mostapparent in grassland livestocksystems and in intensive, arableareas, where autumn sowingpredominates. Mixed farming canhaveparticular benefits for farmlandbirds, but it too has declined.

Wild bird cover is also called wildbird seed mixtures,orunharvested crops.It involvessowing a mixture of seed bearingplants, recreating habitats thatwere once common on manyfarms. Like the traditional gamecrops used on sporting estatesand farms, it acts as a giantbirdtable, providing insects andseeds throughout the year.

Wild

bird

cover

Cro

ps,

establish

men

tan

dm

anag

emen

t

FAR

MIN

GA

ND

CR

OFT

ING

FOR

WILD

LIFE

WBC is an option (wild bird seedmix/unharvested crops), in RuralDevelopment Contracts and isavailable both in the landmanagers options and ruralpriorities.

Birds that benefit from WBCinclude grey partridges, songthrushes, house sparrows, treesparrows, linnets, twites,yellowhammers, reed buntings,corn buntings, barn owls andkestrels. Brown hares use thecrop and bats hunt over it, insearchof insects. If the covercontains weeds, it can supportwild flowers, many of which havedeclined considerably on arable land.

BENEFITSFORWILDLIFEAbove:Wild bird cover acts as a giantbirdtable,providing insects and seedsfor birds toeat throughout the year.

GUIDELINES OVERLEAF

Grey partridge

WHAT BIRDS NEED

Most farmland birds depend on seeds during thewinter. Skylarks, sparrows and buntings can eatcereal grains, but some other species aredependant on smaller seeds of various plants.The seeds of plants such as charlock, fat hen,knotgrass and redshank, and of various wildgrasses, are important components of farmlandbirds’ diet. Some of the cultivated crops includedin WBC, such as quinoa, imitate this type of seed.

If weeds are numerous, WBC supports moreinsects than weed-free conventional crops, asmany insects depend on particular weeds. Mostfarmland bird chicks are fed on insects beforethey fledge and switch to a seed-based diet.As well as providing food, WBC offers shelter andprotection from predators. It can also providenest sites for birds including corn buntings.

Rural Development Contracts allow plots of up to2 ha. If for example, between two and five plotsof 0.5 ha were established per 100 ha, a plentifulsupply of seed could be made availabe aroundthe farm.

MANAGEMENT

Try to establish areas of WBC each year. Amosaic of cover of varying ages helps to ensurethat food and cover are available all year round.In corn buntings areas one-year cereal-basedmixes should be established.

Birds can still be helped when it is time toreplace the WBC with a crop. If cover is ploughedin and the ground prepared to a fine tilth, largequantities of seed will be revealed. If possible,leave these areas for a while before sowing, sothat birds can feed on this rich seed source.

KEY POINTS• Sow a mixture suitable for

your farm type and thefarmland birds in your area.

• Where corn buntings arepresent, sow a one-year mixfor corn buntings (seeSuitable mixes section).

• Where two-year mixes areused, establish an areaevery year, to ensure thatbirds always benefit fromthe seed-rich first year.

Front cover picture: wild bird cover byJonathan Osborne (RSPB), greypartridge by Gordon Langsbury , cornbunting by Gerald Downey. Backpage: song thrush by Chris Gomersalland yellowhammer by Andy Hay (allrspb-images.com)The Royal Society for the Protectionof Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity:England and Wales no 207076,Scotland no SC037654775-0140-09-10

Corn bunting

SOWING

All components of the mix should be sown intothe same ground. It is best to sow the cerealcomponent separately, but the components canbe mixed together and direct-drilled. You canbroadcast the mix instead – but increase thesowing rate by one third to allow for wastage.Small seeds such as linseed may benefit fromseparate broadcasting onto previously rolledground after the other components have beensown. Rolling the ground again afterwards oftenproduces better results than harrowing. Kale is amore demanding crop; it generally needsfertiliser to establish. The use of farmyardmanure is an effective fertiliser and adds value byincreasing weed and invertebrate numbers.

The Advisory Manager, RSPB Scotland, Dunedin House,25 Ravelston Terrace, EdinburghEH4 3TP Tel: 0131 311 6500

SAC (Scottish AgriculturalCollege), King's Buildings, WestMains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG Tel: 0131 535 4000

NFU Scotland, Head Office, RuralCentre - West Mains, Ingliston,Midlothian EH28 8LT Tel: 0131 472 4000

Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road,Inverness, IV3 8NW Tel: 01463 725000

You can get further information on this and other ways of managing your farm for wildlife from:

See also the RSPB Scotlandadvisory sheets on:

• corn bunting• yellowhammer• tree sparrow• linnet• reed bunting

For answers to all of your farmwildlife enquiries, visitwww.farmwildlife.info

RSPB Scotland is part of theRSPB, the UK charity that speaksout for birds and wildlife, tacklingthe problems that threaten ourenvironment. Nature is amazing –help us keep it that way.