Farming and Birds by Ian Newton

Published by New Naturalist William Collins Hard and Soft Back 628 pages Price £65.00 and £35.00

Yet another amazing book by Ian who has done 3 other books in this series [Finches, Bird Migration and Bird Populations]. The size of the book shows the problems facing birds today on farms and what with Brexit coming up another volume could be on the way in the near future! The shear explosion of farming with their size, methods and machinery not to mention the stocking rates, poisons and manure needed to keep the crops growing adds up to a cocktail of depression for most birds. Great Bustard was the first bird to become extinct on our shores while the question must be asked how some chemicals were ever passed as fit to be used on farms! Agro environment schemes seemed to hold up the final nail in the coffin especially as the ‘Holme Fen post’ has seen peat shrink by 4 metres since 1851! But do the farmers care about the future populations of birds on the farms or is it just another way of making a bob regardless. Read the book and find out!