BBC Countryfile film at GWCT farm to help promote the BFBC

BBC Countryfile film at the GWCT's farm at Loddington, for the forthcoming BFBC in February

I spent Friday with GWCT colleagues Jim Egan and Phil Jarvis filming a piece for BBC Countryfile, all about the forthcoming Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC). The GWCT farm at Loddington in Leicestershire hosted the day and some local farmers came along to attend the bird ID training event and to talk to the programme as well.

I must say that the presenter Ellie Harrison and the crew were all charming and helped along by bright sunshine all day, seemed to get what they wanted for the programme which will go out on the 8^th of February. 

Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson, will also be filmed doing the BFBC on his own farm in the Cotswolds, helped by a good friend of mine, Neil Harris of Natural England – so no miss identification there as Neil is a top notch birder!

Last year saw the launch of this GWCT inspired bird count and 500 farmers took part, but already this year with excellent support from a wide range of other countryside based organisations, around 1600 people have downloaded the count forms from our website, so hopefully there will be loads of binoculars focussed on an assortment of species between the 7^th & 14^th of February – the count week.

So make sure you watch the programme and also find just half an hour to get out onto the farm and note down the species of birds that you spot. Send in your results to the GWCT and we will make sure that we get lots of good publicity on your behalf – lets show just how much is happening on farms for wildlife!

For more information and also to download your recording sheets if you have not already done so – go to: https://www.gwct.org.uk/farming/big-farmland-bird-count/