funding to do this work. this do to funding in walls, rock faces etc faces rock walls, in ground-nesting birds. ground-nesting compared to a spinning coin spinning a to compared

landowners apply for apply landowners • Feeds on insects. Nests in holes in Nests insects. on Feeds • create ideal habitat for habitat ideal create • Distinctive trilling song, often song, trilling Distinctive •

project officer helps officer project noticeable in flight in noticeable grazing rough pastures to pastures rough grazing undergrowth

other farmland birds. The birds. farmland other • Eye-catching white rump, very rump, white Eye-catching • Galloways are good for good are Galloways • Feeds on insects. Nests in the in Nests insects. on Feeds •

areas for lapwings and lapwings for areas any other songbird other any such as these Belted these as such

• Shy and difficult to detect to difficult and Shy • rspb-images.com

in spring provide important provide spring in believed to migrate further than further migrate to believed raditional breeds of cattle of breeds raditional T upland oak and beech woodland beech and oak upland

Upland arable crops sown crops arable Upland • Summer visitor from Africa, from visitor Summer • • Summer visitor from Africa to Africa from visitor Summer • TRADITIONAL BREEDS TRADITIONAL

UPLAND ARABLE UPLAND WHEATEAR (declining) WHEATEAR GRAZING BY GRAZING WOOD WARBLER (declining) WARBLER WOOD

MIKE LANE rspb-images.com ANDY HAY rspb-images.com ANDY HAY

an environmentally sensitive way. sensitive environmentally an

guards are in place. in are guards The project officer helps farmers apply for grants to farm in farm to grants for apply farmers helps officer project The

to incubate their eggs when the when eggs their incubate to SAFEGUARDING WADER NESTING AND FEEDING SITES FEEDING AND NESTING WADER SAFEGUARDING

the winter the and other tall vegetation tall other and

accept these guards and continue and guards these accept

do not go partially white in white partially go not do • Nests in leaf litter of bracken of litter leaf in Nests •

the eggs. Lapwings happily Lapwings eggs. the

• UK birds are unique as they as unique are birds UK • • Feeds on insects on Feeds •

nests, guards are put up to protect to up put are guards nests,

• Probes for insects and worms and insects for Probes • bracken in moorland cloughs moorland in bracken

Where cattle are liable to tread on tread to liable are cattle Where

• Prefers wet, boggy ground boggy wet, Prefers • • Often seen flitting around flitting seen Often •

NEST PROTECTION NEST

• On farmland all year round year all farmland On • Summer visitor from Africa from visitor Summer CHRIS TOMSON •

SNIPE (declining) SNIPE WHINCHAT (increasing) WHINCHAT

DAVID KJAER rspb-images.com DAVID the field. the

damage to other plants in plants other to damage

onto the rushes, avoiding rushes, the onto

sites. Herbicide is wiped is Herbicide sites.

control rushes on some on rushes control feed on seeds on feed • Increase due to milder winters milder to due Increase •

this traditional management system. management traditional this

eed wiping is used to used is wiping eed W • Chicks rely on insects. Adults insects. on rely Chicks • • Insistent, hard ‘tsak-tsak’ call ‘tsak-tsak’ hard Insistent, •

landowners apply for grants to maintain to grants for apply landowners

WEED WIPING WEED and unmistakable song unmistakable and • Restless and active and Restless •

CHRIS TOMSON helps officer project The twite. including

• Recognisable by its raised crest raised its by Recognisable • • Frequents scrub, especially gorse especially scrub, Frequents •

and food for a range of farmland birds farmland of range a for food and

moorland fringe bird fringe moorland ound r

throughout the year. the throughout

cover for skylarks, curlews and lapwings and curlews skylarks, for cover

• Once-common farmland and farmland Once-common • • Lives in Peak District all year all District Peak in Lives •

seed-eating farmland birds farmland seed-eating

Flower-rich hay meadows provide nesting provide meadows hay Flower-rich

SKYLARK (declining) SKYLARK STONECHAT (increasing) STONECHAT

kale sown in small plots to feed to plots small in sown kale

HAY MEADOWS HAY

such as quinoa, cereals and cereals quinoa, as such CHRIS TOMSON STEVE KNELL rspb-images.com CHRIS TOMSON

mixture of seed-bearing plants seed-bearing of mixture

curlews and snipe. and curlews

wild bird cover crop is a is crop cover bird wild A

Peak District’s lapwings, District’s Peak winter February

WILD BIRD COVER CROPS COVER BIRD WILD

breeding habitat for the for habitat breeding not go partially white in the in white partially go not ANDY HAY rspb-images.com ANDY HAY as early as crags on Nests •

annually to provide ideal provide to annually • UK birds are unique as they do they as unique are birds UK • • Loud ‘croak’ call ‘croak’ Loud •

provides protection for their chicks. their for protection provides

cut areas of dense rush dense of areas cut • Mostly feeds on heather shoots heather on feeds Mostly • • Largest member of crow family crow of member Largest •

lapwings, curlews and snipe can feed. Vegetation close by close Vegetation feed. can snipe and curlews lapwings,

Farmers are encouraged to encouraged are Farmers heather the Peak District Peak the

Scrapes are shallow pools excavated on farmland around which around farmland on excavated pools shallow are Scrapes

nests on the ground in tall in ground the on nests higher, more remote parts of parts remote more higher, RUSH CUTTING RUSH

SCRAPE AND POND CREATION POND AND SCRAPE CHRIS TOMSON • On moorland all year round, year all moorland On • • Lives all year round in the in round year all Lives •

RED GROUSE (stable) GROUSE RED RAVEN (increasing) RAVEN

scheme funding. scheme ROGER WILMSHURST rspb-images.com MARK HAMBLIN rspb-images.com

and securing agri-environment securing and

offering conservation advice conservation offering

insects/larvae white collar and moustache and collar white

farmers and landowners, and farmers

boggy ground to feed on feed to ground boggy • Male has distinctive black head, black distinctive has Male •

works in harmony with harmony in works

• Requires small pools and pools small Requires • • Feeds on insects and seeds and insects on Feeds •

officer, the Peak Birds Project Birds Peak the officer,

moorland and blanket bogs blanket and moorland usually near a source of water of source a near usually

By employing a project a employing By

bird which breeds on high on breeds which bird • Frequents tall vegetation, tall Frequents •

SERVICE TO FARMERS TO SERVICE

• Ground-nesting, small wading small Ground-nesting, • edge

ARMLAND BIRD ADVISORY BIRD ARMLAND F

Peak District from the coast the from District Peak

CHRIS TOMSON moorland the and farmland ANDREW GOULDSTONE

• Scarce summer visitor to the to visitor summer Scarce • • Lives all year round on round year all Lives •

What does the Peak Birds Project do? Project Birds Peak the does What

DUNLIN (declining) DUNLIN REED BUNTING (declining) BUNTING REED

CHRIS GOMERSALL rspb-images.com MARK HAMBLIN rspb-images.com CHRIS GOMERSALL rspb-images.com rspb-images.com ANDY HAY MARK HAMBLIN MIKE RICHARDS rspb-images.com

other species, such as skylarks and golden plovers. golden and skylarks as such species, other partner organizations, the project aims to secure a brighter a secure to aims project the organizations, partner ten years. ten birds and research is underway to find the cause. the find to underway is research and birds

and reed buntings. Much of this conservation work will benefit will work conservation this of Much buntings. reed and and the RSPB. Working with farmers, landowners and other and landowners farmers, with Working RSPB. the and their numbers stabilize and then increase over the next the over increase then and stabilize numbers their The RSPB is concerned at what is happening to our woodland our to happening is what at concerned is RSPB The

decline of bird species such as lapwings, curlews, snipe, twite snipe, curlews, lapwings, as such species bird of decline venture between the Peak District National Park Authority Park National District Peak the between venture and twite are three species requiring help, in order to ensure to order in help, requiring species three are twite and ravens, which can now be found all over the Peak District. Peak the over all found be now can which ravens,

Peak Birds Project is working with farmers to help stop the stop help to farmers with working is Project Birds Peak The Peak Birds Project was launched in 2001, as a joint a as 2001, in launched was Project Birds Peak The future for the Peak District’s wildlife. Curlews, lapwings Curlews, wildlife. District’s Peak the for future all year round in the Peak District. Legal protection has helped has protection Legal District. Peak the in round year all

in recent years, with many farmland species in decline. The decline. in species farmland many with years, recent in tits and wrens. Stonechats have also benefited and can be seen be can and benefited also have Stonechats wrens. and tits

What is the Peak Birds Project? Birds Peak the is What

The fortunes of the Peak District’s bird populations have changed have populations bird District’s Peak the of fortunes The armer winters have helped small birds such as long-tailed as such birds small helped have winters armer W

The ups and downs of Peak District birds District Peak of downs and ups The Farming and wildlife in harmony in wildlife and Farming CHRIS TOMSON

Where to watch these birds in the Peak District

CURLEW – Marsden area, Meltham area, North Staffordshire Moors, Eastern Moors, Working together for the benefit of Goyt Valley, Carsington Water farmers and birds in the Peak District DUNLIN – Bleaklow, Saddleworth Moor, Derwentdale

GOLDEN PLOVER – Axe Edge, Kinder Scout, Wessenden, Flouch, Stockport area Where to find LAPWING – Flouch, Stockport area, Eastern Moors, North Staffordshire Moors, Bakewell area, Carsington Water birds in the MERLIN – areas of heather moorland in the Dark Peak CHRIS SARGEANT rspb-images.com RAVEN – Dovestones, The Roaches, ROGER WILMSHURST rspb-images.com Derwentdale, Goyt Valley, Longdendale Peak District

RED GROUSE – Strines and Langsett Moors, Axe Edge, Eastern Moors, Snake Summit

REDSTART – Monsal and Manifold Valleys, Padley Gorge, Goyt Valley, Chatsworth Estate, Langsett area, Derwentdale, Macclesfield Forest

REED BUNTING – Goyt Valley, Eastern Moors, North Staffordshire Moors, Redmires, Langsett

RING OUZEL – Stanage Edge, Wessenden Valley, Little Don Valley, Goyt Valley, Marsden area

SKYLARK – widespread across the area, but especially around Hathersage, North Staffordshire Moors, Eastern Moors The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment RSPB regd charity no 207076 FRONT COVER: CURLEW, LAURIE CAMPBELL DESIGNED BY FDA 01484 861611 SNIPE – Flouch area, Upper Midhope, North for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. Staffordshire Moors, Redmires Reservoir, Carsington Water

STONECHAT – Marsden area, Eastern Moors, Stocksbridge/Penistone area

TWITE – Marsden area, Wessenden Valley, Chris Tomson Anna Sugrue Meltham area, Buxton area Peak Birds Project Officer RSPB Conservation Support Officer Peak District National Park Authority The RSPB, Westleigh Mews WHEATEAR – Marsden area, North Aldern House, Baslow Road Wakefield Road, Denby Dale Staffordshire Moors, Buxton area, Langsett, Bakewell DE45 1AE Huddersfield HD8 8QD White Peak Tel 01629 816247 Tel 01484 861148 WHINCHAT – Langsett Moors, Wessenden Email [email protected] Email [email protected] Valley, North Staffordshire Moors, Longdendale In association with:

WOOD WARBLER – Padley Gorge, Ewden Valley, Monsal and Manifold Valleys, Gradbach ROGER WILMSHURST rspb-images.com MARK HAMBLIN rspb-images.com PETER GUY STEVE KNELL rspb-images.com ANDY HAY rspb-images.com

CURLEW TWITE MERLIN GOLDEN PLOVER RING OUZEL • 1,000 pairs breed in the Peak • Known as the Pennine finch. • Scarce, small falcon • Spring and summer visitor • Known as the ‘mountain District Similar to the linnet • Breeds on heather moorland from the coast blackbird’ • Spring and summer visitor to • Nests on moorland, breeds in • Feeds on small birds • Nests on high moorland, • Summer visitor from North the Peak District from the coast hay meadows • Length: 26–33 cm, wing-span: feeds on pastures Africa • Nests on the moorland edge, • Declining in the Peak District 55–69 cm • Feeds on insects • Nests in moorland cloughs feeds in fields and meadows • Feeds entirely on seeds, • Related to the lapwing • Feeds on worms and insects • Has a long, curved beak usually dandelion and sorrel • Length: 25–28 cm on sheep pastures in summer for probing the ground for • Length: 12.5–14 cm and berries in autumn earthworms and leatherjackets • Declining in the Peak District • Length: 48–57 cm • Length: 24–27 cm BARRY HUGHES rspb-images.com MARK HAMBLIN rspb-images.com ANDY HAY rspb-images.com

REDSTART PIED FLYCATCHER • Colourful spring and summer • Spring and summer visitor visitor from West Africa LAPWING from West Africa • Nests in holes in trees or • 1,200 pairs breed in the • Woodland bird old buildings Peak District • Nests in holes in trees but • Feeds largely on caterpillars • Ground-nesting wader readily takes to nestboxes • ‘Flicking’ red tail • Prefers wet farmland fields • Feeds on caterpillars and • Length: 13–14.5 cm or ploughed land to nest and insects find food • Length: 12–13.5 cm • Feeds on earthworms, leatherjackets and insects • Length: 28–31 cm

ALL LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS TOMSON