What's that bird?

I held a small bird ID day for the Chalke Valley Farmers Cluster in Wiltshire the other day. A reasonably sunny, dry day, was great for spotting birds, but also meant that a number of folk could not attend as they were making the most of this pleasant gap in the weather, so were collectively sitting on tractors - drilling!

Budding ornithologists, including host farmer (second from left) Ben Jeans

We did a circular walk and found good numbers of birds including lots of Corn bunting, Yellowhammer, Reed bunting, Chaffinch and Linnet. Not surprising because Ben Jeans, the host farmer, grows crops for feeding birds over-winter and supplements these crops with extra mixed seeds spread along track-sides and field margins.

One field of over-wintering stubble with a good regrowth of barley volunteers (the word "volunteers" is used by farmers to indicate that plants were not deliberately sown, but have grown from spilt seed whilst harvesting) was full of Meadow pipits and above, high in the sky, Skylarks sang. In the distance Ravens "cronked" and Buzzards "mewed".

Trying to identify birds, especially at some distance is not easy - especially as so many of them classically look like "LBJs" - little brown jobs! However, we discussed how the "Jizz" of the bird can help you to home in on its identity. Jizz is a birders term for the little things that a particular bird does - flicking its tail, sitting very upright or a very bouncy flight - that sort of thing. Jotting these things down with the help of a pencil and notepad, will help you potentially find your bird when back in the house with a cup of coffee and a bird book!

One bird that everyone cracked was the Song thrush. This bird has a habit of repeating phrases when singing. It picks a few notes and repeats them three or four times, followed by a small gap, and then into a different phrase, which once again it will repeat.

It was great to hear a real cacophony of House sparrows when we returned to the farm - once common, it is now a bird in decline - but not on this farm!

Thanks must go to Simon Smart, who is the facilitator of this farmers group and the organiser of their events and of course to Ben, a farmer who is acutely aware of his responsibilities as the manager of "his" little bit of England - growing food and looking after the environment - a job that he does so well.