Yellowhammers alive and well
Alan Morrow, Countryside Management Branch, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)
Sydney Malone farms 50 hectares at 'Clintagh' near Coleraine. It is very much a working farm with various enterprises including, suckler cows, sheep, and some arable cropping.
On becoming a Countryside Management Scheme (CMS) participant in 2002, Sydney discovered that he had a number of wildlife habitats on his farm, including a 'Breeding Wader' site. These habitats require some additional management but payments from the scheme ensure that he is compensated for his effort.
Sydney, was aware that a good population of birds existed on the farm and as a result of joining the Countryside Management Scheme, was keen to learn more. An opportunity to have his farm surveyed over the summer months of 2004 as part of the RSPB Volunteer and Farmer Alliance was taken. This revealed that a wide variety of breeding birds exist on the farm including a healthy population of yellowhammers.
Yellowhammers, once a common farmland bird in Northern Ireland, have suffered a serious decline with a reduction of 70 percent in the last 20 years. Arable options available to farmers under the Countryside Management Scheme can help reverse this trend.
If you are already in, or have recently applied to join the CMS and would like to find out more about how you can be rewarded for helping wildlife on your farm, contact local Countryside Management staff.