This enigmatic farmland bird used to range across Cornwall, but disappeared in the early nineties. Now, thanks to the ongoing reintroduction project, it has been returned to one of its past haunts and the population is growing.
The project draws on expertise from the RSPB, the National Trust, Paignton Zoo, Natural England and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and has been running since 2006. Chicks are moved under license from healthy cirl bunting populations in Devon and reared and released in South Cornwall.
After breeding was first recorded in 2007, the population has been slowly increasing, but this summer has seen a big increase in the number of pairs breeding, and the number of young leaving nests is the highest ever for the project. Not only that, but the birds are expanding their range.
The RSPB’s Project Officer, Nick Tomalin, thinks that this is down to the availability of suitable habitat; ‘We always knew that the local habitat was good, but the farming community has been very supportive of the project, and many farmers have managed parts of their land to benefit cirl buntings and other farmland birds.
‘In many cases, cirls have moved into areas where this work has occurred, and it’s great to see these farmers rewarded for all their efforts’.
Ian Carter, Natural England’s ornithologist added; “Reintroducing a small bird like the cirl bunting is a huge and complex task – involving supportive landowners, experts who have hand-reared the birds and scientists who monitor their progress. We’re encouraged that the birds we’ve released have reared significant numbers of young, many of which we hope will reach adulthood and then go on to breed. The future of this rare songster looks brighter than it has for many years.”
Natural England and the RSPB have worked closely with landowners in the release area to set up Higher Level Stewardship agreements which have been invaluable in helping to ensure that released cirl buntings can find sufficient food and breeding sites in the wild. This scheme, funded by Defra and the European Union, pays farmers to manage their land in an environmentally friendly way, tailored to the needs of local wildlife.
Janet Lister, National Trust Nature Conservation Advisor said “It’s great to see numbers of the cirl buntings growing in South Cornwall. The National Trust is pleased to have been able to support this project both at the donor end in South Devon and where the new population has been established in Cornwall. We are really grateful for the help our tenant farmers have provided”.
Paignton Zoo Curator of Birds Jo Gregson said: “Paignton Zoo is keen to support conservation projects all over the world, but working with British birds is always very special for us.”
The cirl buntings have also been living up to their old name, the ‘Village Bunting’, by nesting in suburban gardens and feeding around the village edges. Many of the local residents have been delighted to find such a rare species making visits to their gardens and food supplies.
The burgeoning population will continue to be monitored throughout the winter, and with such strong support from the local community, both landowners and residents, conservationists believe these birds have a bright future ahead.

Nick Tomalin (RSPB)

2010 marked the fifth year of the Cirl Bunting Reintroduction Project – a joint venture between the RSPB, Paignton Zoo, the National Trust and Natural England to re-establish the cirl bunting in Cornwall.

The year saw a steady, continued rise in the breeding population and thanks to the generally fine summer weather, most pairs pursued two, or even three breeding attempts. The result of all this activity was the production of at least 39 juveniles. Intensive monitoring of these breeding birds again revealed what complex lives they can lead with separations and re-pairings being not uncommon. Also, as in 2009, one particular male, who at over four years old is our oldest surviving bird, paired with just the two different females this year compared to last year’s three! His performance has become legendary in the cirl world and, no doubt, his productivity will be what all others will be compared with for a very long time to come. Long may he continue!

Another very good year of hand rearing saw 70 of the intake of 76 chicks from Devon survive to release. All sporting their assortment of uniquely colour-co-ordinated leg rings, several have already ventured some way beyond their release area to mix with their wild-bred relatives. In an attempt to reduce the impact that sparrowhawks have on the cirl bunting population, a few methods of non-lethal intervention were trialled this year. Central to this was a technique of providing supplementary food, in the form of commercially-reared dead quails, to the local pair of breeding sparrowhawks. Similar methods have been used in similar scenarios with great success, for example with kestrels that jeopardise breeding success at little tern colonies in the east of England. Initial results suggest that this action may have led to increased survivorship within the released population. Continued monitoring from project staff and volunteers will, hopefully, determine if this is indeed the case.

As the winter progresses it is likely that the cirls will continue to disperse further afield seeking out their favoured foraging habitat of over-wintered, weed-rich stubbles and bird-seed mix crops. Many of these areas have been put in place through the continued support from local farmers. Their continued involvement with the project has safeguarded large areas of farmland habitat for wildlife. Over 700 hectares of land near the release site is now managed under the new Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, where the farmers receive financial support from Natural England for environmentally sensitive practices. This will secure the future of cirl buntings in Cornwall.

As it becomes clearer over the coming months just how well the birds are doing, the decision will be made whether or not to extend the release programme into 2011, but the team will remain on the ground to monitor the situation closely. Providing the winter is not too severe, it is hoped that the majority of the birds from this year will make it through to breed next spring and summer. We are, as always, indebted to the help and support we receive from the local community and the dedicated team of volunteers who keep a close eye on the birds throughout the year.

If anyone has any sightings, would like to commit to regular voluntary work, (*see below) or simply wants more information, please feel free to contact me on 07736 792524 or at stuart.croft@rspb.org.uk
Stuart Croft

RSPB Cirl Bunting Reintroduction Project Field Officer

*In the RSPB volunteers are a major resource and make a vital contribution to the RSPB’s aims to take action for the conservation of wild birds and the environment. On a project like this we would need someone with good field identification skills and reasonable fitness who could commit to at least one day each fortnight, since it requires regular work to become familiar with the ring identification and the monitoring area. We also offer residential placements during winter. For more information see www.rspb.org.uk or contact Stuart Croft – details above.

Another cohort of chicks were translocated from Devon and reared in Cornwall. By the end of the season, 67 had been released into the Cornish countryside. When added to the young born in Cornish nests, the population had been boosted by over 100 young birds this year. Many of these will not survive their first winter, but in larger flocks, alongside more experienced birds, they stand a better chance than in previous years. RSPB staff and volunteers will continue to monitor these birds through winter, when they tend to move onto spring barley stubbles or patches of bird cover. Many of these areas have been put in place through the continued support from local farmers. Their knowledge and enthusiasm for farmland wildlife has ensured that a diverse range of flora and fauna will benefit from suitable management. Some farmers have now been offered financial support from Natural England for this work, and this will secure the future of cirl buntings in Cornwall.

We will shortly be deciding what the future holds for Cornish cirl buntings, as we go over the progress that has been made, and try to determine what we still need to do! The next year or two will be critical if the birds are to establish themselves for good. After a better breeding season this year, things are looking positive for the species. With the continued support of the local community, and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers keeping a close eye on things, I hope to be able to report even more success in future years for cirl buntings in Cornwall. Who knows, perhaps we’ll get a BBQ summer next year instead!

If anyone has any sightings, would like to commit to regular voluntary work (*see below), or simply wants more information, please feel free to contact me on 07702 779345 or at nick.tomalin@rspb.org.uk.
Nick Tomalin

RSPB Cirl Bunting Reintroduction Project Officer

*In the RSPB volunteers are a major resource and make a vital contribution to the RSPB’s aims to take action for the conservation of wild birds and the environment. On a project like this we would need someone with good field identification skills and reasonable fitness who could commit to at least one day each fortnight, since it requires regular work to become familiar with the ring identification and the monitoring area. We also offer residential placements during winter. For more information see www.rspb.org.uk or contact Nick Tomalin – details above.

The population has also been boosted by another batch of young birds translocated from Devon. Aviculturists from Paignton Zoo have again been busy rearing the birds from 6-day old chicks until release at around 30-32 days. This is no easy task, as the birds require feeding every two hours from 6am until midnight. The process has been adapted from last year drawing on the experience of the head aviculturist, Carl Laven, and on advice from vets at the Zoological Society of London, who develop the rearing protocol. Although poor weather may mean that the chicks are more vulnerable to disease, a total of 68 have been released this year – ahead of target and with very few losses, due to the dedication of the hand-rearers.

With the winter fast approaching, monitoring of the population will continue with RSPB staff and volunteers identifying birds by their unique colour-ring combinations. The birds will begin to form flocks and spend their time feeding in seed-rich stubble fields. The local farming community have been hugely supportive of the work, with many putting in suitable wintering habitat on their farms to encourage cirl buntings. Many have been interested in the governments Environmental Stewardship Schemes, which offer payments for wildlife friendly management of the land. This support is crucial to the success of the project. With more birds due to be translocated next year, it is hoped that the population will continue to expand over the next couple of years so that cirl buntings will be a common feature of the Cornish countryside once again.

If anyone has any sightings, would like to commit to regular voluntary work (*see below), or simply wants more information, please feel free to contact me on 07702 779345 or at nick.tomalin@rspb.org.uk.

Nick Tomalin

RSPB Cirl Bunting Reintroduction Project Officer

*In the RSPB volunteers are a major resource and make a vital contribution to the RSPB’s aims to take action for the conservation of wild birds and the environment. On a project like this we would need someone with good field identification skills and reasonable fitness who could commit to at least one day each fortnight, since it requires regular work to become familiar with the ring identification and the monitoring area. We also offer residential placements during winter. For more information see www.rspb.org.uk or contact Nick Tomalin – details above.

Last summer saw the first releases at a ‘secret’ site in south Cornwall. Young chicks were taken from Devon nests under licence from Natural England, then transported to the site and reared by aviculturalists from Paignton Zoo. When the chicks were old enough, they were moved outside to aviaries, and released into the wild a week later. By the end of August last year 72 cirl buntings had been released. They were all ringed with a unique colour combination so each bird could be identified. During March, pairs began to form territories and showed signs of breeding activity, with the first chicks hatching out in June.

Though this represents a great success for the species, more birds will be needed for the population to be able to sustain itself. More young birds have been brought down from Devon and released this year, and will be for the following two years, and we are working with local farmers, landowners and Natural England to provide suitable habitat for cirl buntings under the government’s Environmental Stewardship schemes. If anyone has any sightings, would like to commit to regular voluntary work (*see below), or simply wants more information, please feel free to contact me on 07702 779345 or at nick.tomalin@rspb.org.uk.

Nick Tomalin

RSPB Cirl Bunting Reintroduction Project Field Officer

* In the RSPB volunteers are a major resource and make a vital contribution to the RSPB’s aim to take action for the conservation of wild birds and the environment. On a project like this we would need someone with good field identification skills and reasonable fitness who could commit to at least one day each fortnight, since it requires regular work to become familiar with the ring identification and the monitoring area. For more information please contact Nick Tomalin – details above.

Cirl Bunting photos by Cornwall Birding Images 2007