The rook - a farmland bird. Their UK population has decreased by around 25% between 1995 and 2023. They are on the Amber List in the UK and the Red List in Wales. They nest together in a rookery. Rookeries are disappearing at an alarming rate. The birds are being shot and the nests/trees removed.

A good read.

True progress is not measured by the number of houses built or miles of road laid but by the ecosystems we preserve and the species we protect.

An amazing book by Graham Harvey. It explores how agricultural intensification has destroyed the British countryside contributing to the loss of many of our wildlife species. It was published in 1997. What a shame that recent statistics indicate that the loss of farmland birds has not been halted.

The destruction or conversion of farm buildings has significant negative effects on wildlife by causing habitat loss, fragmentation and a decline in biodiversity. Old stone barns and derelict buildings are vital breeding and roosting sites for species like barn owls and swifts.

A firecrest is even better.