Cirl Bunting success story

News that cirl buntings have bounced back from the brink of extinction has cheered Ambios, our partners at Lower Sharpham Barton Farm.

Jack Skuse, who is part of the Ambios team, said they'd spent quite a bit of time and money in rebuilding hedge banks and laying hedges to support the kind of thick, dense cover (like gorse and blackthorn) for cirls to nest in.

Said Jack: "It isn't just hedges. They like crickets in the summer and so we have ploughed and planted up a red clover mix on the farm...nectar-rich plants."

"In the winter they eat seeds left over from the harvest. This is a rarity in the UK countryside these days due to winter cropping. We don’t do this and we leave the stubble and seed spilled post-harvest for the cirls. So it's a complete package of space to nest, and abundant food in summer and winter."

Added Jack: "It's worth noting that what is good for cirls is good for other wildlife too.

Lower Sharpham Farm is organic, which means other wildlife and insects have space to thrive too.