Cotswold rural business recognised for GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count contribution

A rural business in the Cotswolds has received a special award for its contribution to the 2022 GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count. Overbury Enterprises was given the award in recognition of its long-term participation in the national bird survey run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).

“We chose Overbury Enterprises because of their commitment to the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count – they have taken part every year since it began in 2014,” commented GWCT Advisor Amber Lole who runs the count. “Each year the team at Overbury Enterprises submits more counts than the previous year, as well as spreading the word about the count to their social media followers.”

The award was kindly sponsored by Perdix Wildlife Supplies, and the winner received three PERDIX farmland bird feeders, a trail camera and two PERDIX bird nesting boxes. Penelope Bossom, Managing Partner at Overbury Enterprises, received the award at The Game Fair at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire on 29 July, from Dave Butler of Perdix Wildlife Supplies. She said:

“The beauty of taking part in the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is that it gives us an opportunity to get everyone together, from local people who love birds, to our farming and gardening teams, and it’s a great winter teambuilding activity.”

The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count asks land managers to spend half an hour each February counting and recording the birds they see on their land and submit their results to the GWCT. The aim is to encourage farmers and gamekeepers to support farmland birds, and to highlight the hard work already done by many of them to help reverse species’ declines. The count gives a vital national snapshot of the health of the UK’s birdlife.

Overbury Enterprises is a family partnership of rural businesses based in the Cotswolds near Tewkesbury, on the Worcestershire and Gloucestershire border. The business includes home and workspace property rental, farming services and contracting, early years nursery and out of hours school club, and a luxury farmhouse holiday rental.

Land managers look after 71% of the UK’s countryside – the largest songbird habitat in the country – so they can make a real and immediate difference to the fate of our much-loved bird species by adopting simple, effective conservation measures.

The 2022 GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count saw more than 1,900 farmers and land managers overcome challenging weather conditions to count over 420,000 individual birds in the survey which is now in its ninth year. They spotted 130 species across more than 1.5million acres (607,000 hectares).

The GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count is sponsored by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and has the support of farming unions and organisations across the UK.

For more information on the GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count and how to take part, please visit www.bfbc.org.uk

Photos: Penelope Bossom of Overbury Enterprises receiving the BFBC Award from Dave Butler of Perdix Wildlife Supplies

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies.