Conservation Measures Within England
A very small Cirl Bunting population exists in South Devon in England.
Through its Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Environmental Stewardship, Natural England has various options to conserve the species:
- Allow stubbles to overwinter. Leave crops such as spring barley stubble untreated (no fertiliser, pesticide, or cultivation) until the end of the following March. This allows the Cirl Bunting to feed over the winter on the spilt grain and seeds of broad-leaved arable weeds like Fat Hen, Chickweed, and annual meadow grass Poa annua, which grow in the meantime. The loss of this old farming practice led to the species's decline.
- Maintain semi-improved or rough grassland and field margins, particularly tussocky grasses such as Cock's-foot. These provide an overwintering habitat for insects, which in turn provides food for the Cirl Bunting and their chicks.
- Sow barley-based wild bird seed mix crop. This crop has an open structure, allowing birds to forage.
- Delay spraying insecticides to provide invertebrate food for as long as possible.
- Leave hedgerows untrimmed for periods of time. This provides breeding areas and food.
A partnership between Natural England and the RSPB runs the "Cirl Bunting Project", part of a larger project called "Action for Birds".
Through the efforts of conservation organisations and landowners, the Cirl Bunting population has increased from 118 pairs in 1989 to 700 pairs in 2003. However, their range has not expanded.
Read more about this topic: Cirl Bunting
Famous quotes containing the words conservation, measures and/or england:
“A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it grows also when it turns to justice and to right for the conservation of its interests.”
—Aristide Briand (1862–1932)
“To the eyes of a god, mankind must appear as a species of bacteria which multiply and become progressively virulent whenever they find themselves in a congenial culture, and whose activity diminishes until they disappear completely as soon as proper measures are taken to sterilise them.”
—Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
“It was always accounted a virtue in a man to love his country. With us it is now something more than a virtue. It is a necessity. When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.”
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)