A
SCHEME involving farmers working with bird experts in the north east of
Scotland is helping to preserve the existence of an iconic Scottish bird.
The
corn bunting was at risk of extinction after the number of breeding pairs fell
to just 800 – the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds say the bunting
used to be “widespread” across Scotland.
Following
rapid decline in numbers there have been several local extinctions during the
last decade and the remaining pairs are mostly in east Scotland which is home
to 95 per cent of Scotland’s corn buntings.
Even
in their east Scotland strongholds corn buntings suffered huge declines during
the 1990s and 2000s – numbers fell by 83 per cent across 30 sites.
The
combination of a late breeding season, a preference for nesting in growing
crops and a seed diet centred on grains along with insects fed to chicks makes
corn buntings especially vulnerable to modern agricultural practices.
In
an innovative project across Aberdeenshire and Moray, farmers are helping to
change the fortunes of these iconic birds by working with the RSPB.
The
RSPB announced the success of the scheme yesterday, saying: “Over the last 14
years, approximately 70 local farmers have worked with RSPB Scotland to monitor
the number of corn buntings on their farms and conduct research about the best
ways to help them.
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