AMONG the diverse range of British bird habitats, the largest is what you can broadly call farmland. Its mix of arable fields, sown and natural grasslands, moors, hedges, ditches, orchards and small woods accounts for about 71% of the land area. It is, therefore, inevitable that the species that shelter, feed and nest within it are among the most closely monitored, in order to maintain an overall sense of the health of our avian populations.
Some species are more obviously farmland birds than others. The robin nests in farm scrub, but is equally associated with gardens, as is the wren, with its bright, perky song that can be heard almost anywhere. Goldfinches, since they discovered a taste for the sunflower seeds kindly souls put out in feeders, have lost something of their old ‘birds of the open fields’ aura. The following 10 species, however, are inextricably linked to Britain’s farmland heritage across many centuries.
Skylark
IS there a happier bird in Britain than the skylark? Barclay Wills, chronicler of the last years of the South Downs shepherds, wrote of ‘tireless larks… singing overhead’ and William Wordsworth called it an ‘ethereal minstrel’ pouring ‘upon the world a flood of harmony’. Its rapid song is so continuous it can last five minutes, the metallic piping often coming from so high up that it appears to be the work of a dot in the sky.
Denne historien er fra September 09, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 09, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
