Monitoring bird numbers continues to be an important part of evaluating our progress on building biodiversity at Albourne Estate.    The first set of surveys of wild bird species within the vineyard were conducted in April and May 2025 and reported on here.

Two further ‘winter’ surveys have now been completed by the British Trust for Ornithology and the results are encouraging with 30 species found in October and 33 in February.   Over the 4 surveys conducted during the last year, a total of 47 bird species have been identified, many of which are common UK residents or winter visitors, but with a few noteworthy species appearing.

This year was a particularly good berry year and thrushes were around all winter as they still had berries available in some of the hedgerows.  The key to bird diversity in winter is availability of food so hedgerows with berries such as hawthorn and blackthorn are important and also rougher grassy areas that may have seeds for finches (e.g. thistles and teasels).    As part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme we are now assessing our hedges and leaving more minimal/uncut grassy areas of our estate which together with our woodland planting project should encourage greater diversity going forward.

The star of the Spring surveys were Swallows, Linnets and Goldfinches. Of particular note over the Winter were a group of Redpolls feeding in birch trees at the top of the vineyard and a pair of Yellowhammers that frequented the hedgerow near the winery buildings. Yellowhammers are a declining farmland bird and we are hoping that they will stay to breed

Also of note were Coal tit, Nuthatch and Grey wagtails. The first two are associated with mature trees and woodland and there are a number of lovely old oak trees on the estate that provide invertebrate food and hopefully will provide nest sites for some of these species in the breeding season.

If you visit us this Summer we hope you will see some of these species around our vineyard.