Three hundred of the ewes due to give birth towards the end of March were moved to fresh pasture whilst a group of 200 were brought under cover and housed in the yard on Manor Farm, which was originally used as a pre-milking collecting area for our dairy herd. There are now only a few of the first flock of 500 left to have their lambs, so Kevin has rearranged the allocation of yard space within the barn to make things a little easier to manage. A market was also sorted out for most of the remaining sheep that will be culled, these will leave the farm as soon as our agent has found a suitable buyer and arranged transport to collect them.
);
The 2021 GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is underway. From today (February 5) until Valentine’s Day farmers and land managers across the country will be picking up their binoculars and heading to a corner of their land to spend 30 minutes counting birds. And it is not too late to get involved.
The event, organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), is a nationwide survey of farmland birds undertaken voluntarily by farmers and land managers. Last year more than 1,500 people took part.
Participants are asked to spend just 30 minutes recording the birds they see on their land and submit the results to the GWCT for analysis. The count helps to identify the farmland birds that are flourishing and the ones most in need of support.
How just 30 minutes on your farm could bolster conservation efforts
Farmers in Northern Ireland are encouraged to set aside just half an hour to get counting and join the Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC).
Taking place from February 5 to February 14, 2021, the initiative run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust aims to show the public the positive impact farmland management has on protecting bird numbers – especially endangered species.
Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president David Brown will be among those taking part this year.
“The BFBC goes from strength to strength each year. In 2020, it was very promising to see bird count records being broken, especially considering the unprecedented circumstances,” Brown said.