WILD bird populations are showing improvements, thanks to conservation schemes involving farmers.

Two farmers in particular have been picked out for their work which has benefited different species.

In North Yorkshire, wetland birds such as redshank, lapwing and snipe have particularly benefited through the work of George Westgarth, owner of Newsham Hall Farm, Newsham, near Richmond.

He used a Defra Countryside Stewardship grant to wet up and revert former arable land to create a huge wetland area beside the A66. The large expanse of water attracts thousands of birds, including barnacle geese and Bewick swans emigrating from as far afield as Greenland and the high Arctic.

He has also encouraged tree sparrows, buntings and finches by planting wildlife seed mixes, arable field margins, managed hedgerows and rotating arable crops.

As a result, the farm has become an all-seasonal habitat for birds, with breeding opportunities in spring and foraging opportunities in winter.

In Durham and the North-East, species such as grey partridge, corn bunting, yellowhammers, lapwings and tree sparrows have all benefited.

Guy Rutter, of West House Farm, Bishop Middleham, is also in a stewardship scheme and has created over-wintering stubbles for corn buntings and tree sparrows.

He leaves unsprayed crop headlands for insect-eating birds such as the grey partridge and plants wild birdseed mixtures to provide food all the year round.

He has also created pollen and nectar areas alongside newly-created grassland to encourage insects and invertebrates.

Mr Rutter said this year had been difficult for the birds because of all the rain but stewardship was helping. "It has resulted in some species at least stabilising, such as corn buntings and lapwings," he said. "We have heard several pairs of corn buntings and there has definitely been an increase in the number of grey partridge.

"I would certainly say countryside stewardship has been a success and we will carry on with it."

Elliot Morley, Environment Minister, said the latest study on wild birds showed encouraging signs that biodiversity policies were working, although much more needed to be done.

It was encouraging that some scarce birds, such as the woodlark and dartford warbler, were on the increase, and good to see that the long-term decline in farmland birds was flattening out at last.

"However, there are still, some worrying declines in farmland specialists such as turtle dove and corn bunting, so we must continue our efforts to address the underlying problems," Mr Morley said.

The Government allocates £145m a year to Countryside Stewardship and environmentally sensitive area schemes which help maintain and improve bird habitats. About 30,000 farmers have joined them.

From next year, all farmers in England will be able to join the new entry level stewardship scheme which will have £150m of new money a year.

"It is aimed at getting the majority of farmers in England to participate in an agri-environment scheme with a range of simple, low-cost management options," said Mr Morley. "These will have the cumulative effect of producing wide-scale benefits for farmland birds, particularly those still widely distributed, but whose populations have declined.

"Higher level stewardship will provide additional benefits for more localised farmland birds via a more intensive, but carefully targeted, approach to habitat management."