Feeding Scheme Boost for Birds on the Brink
Two supplementary feeder stations installed at Riggs Head, near Scarborough. © Tim Jones (2025)
A North Yorkshire-based project aiming to revive the fortunes of two of the UK’s most threatened farmland birds - the Turtle Dove and the Yellowhammer - has launched a new initiative to support them through the installation of targeted supplementary feeding.
The initiative, part of the Birds on the Edge project hosted by the North York Moors Trust, is working collaboratively with farmers and land managers across the National Park to provide additional feeding habitat during key times of the year. It is one of several interventions being delivered through the project to improve breeding and feeding conditions for declining species found in farm and woodland habitats.
The Turtle Dove, a migratory bird that returns to the UK from Africa each spring to breed, has suffered a 99% population decline since 1967. The Yellowhammer, a year-round resident, has seen numbers fall by 65%. Both are now Red Listed, reflecting their urgent need for conservation action.
The loss of suitable feeding habitat such as scrubland, wildflower plots, and traditional arable margins is one of several drivers of the decline in these species, alongside factors like climate change, and why the project has prioritised collaboration with farmers to help revive the species.
The new initiative helps address gaps in available habitat by deploying automatic seed feeders filled with carefully selected mixes tailored to the birds’ dietary needs. This initiative, supported by a capital grant from the DEFRA-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, provides equipment and seed to farms across 24 sites in the National Park. Feeders are placed in quiet, open areas to minimise disturbance, with trail cameras used to monitor bird activity and maintain hygiene.
The feeders aim to support Turtle Doves during their spring and summer breeding season and provide Yellowhammers and other seed-eating species, including Linnets, Skylarks and Reed Buntings, with seed through leaner autumn and winter months.
While the long-term target is to create sustainable year-round feeding habitat, supplementary feeding plays an important interim role, giving species what they require while new habitats are established and mature.
Research from across the UK and regionally shows that supplementary feeding can significantly improve survival and breeding outcomes. The recent Big Farmland Bird Count found that farms in Yorkshire providing winter seed had four times more Yellowhammers than those that did not when paired with other habitat improvements.
The feeders complement wider work to increase habitat through Birds on the Edge. This four-year project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, is creating and restoring ponds, drinking pools, wildflower and arable plots, while also engaging new and diverse audiences with nature and conservation through creative and practical activities.
Birds on the Edge is delivered in partnership with the North York Moors National Park Authority, Howardian Hills National Landscape, Forestry England, ARCADE, Yorkshire Water, and North Yorkshire Council.
Arable farmers interested in creating wildflower habitat for Turtle Doves can access funding through the project. To find out more or express an interest, contact Project Officer Tim Jones at t.jones@northyorkmoors.org.uk.
Further grant support is also available through the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme to help farmers and other land managers adapt to future changes in agriculture, as well as a range of other objectives to benefit nature, climate, people and place. To express an interest in the programme contact Dave Arnott (Farming in Protected Landscapes Officer) d.arnott@northyorkmoors.org.uk or Corey Rathbone (Assistant Project Officer) c.rathbone@northyorkmoors.org.uk.
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