Birds, Scythes and Combines - A History of Birds and Agricultural Change

The author is well placed to write this book, having farmed in Sussex for nearly 50 years and observed a microcosm of what he is writing about. The treatment of his theme runs from 1750 to the present day. He shows that numbers of farmland birds were little affected by 18th and 19th century methods, even if the 19th century saw slaughter of birds in general on a massive scale for sport and collection purposes. He explains the whole range of farmland birds before embarking on a historical survey that covers enclosure, hedges, drainage, weeds and pesticides, grassland, winter food resources and post-1945 arable farming systems. He regards the key ecological change associated with the decline in farm birds to be the disappearance of arable weeds within crops, which is further reinforced by the adverse effect of prevalent chemicals on wildlife. The introduction of the combine and autumn tillage has further exacerbated the situation by removing important food supplies in the stubble. The author finally discusses a number of conservation measure that can improve the overall situation. A fascinating study.