British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative

Helping farmers help nature. Supporting biodiversity across England to enhance raptor populations. Makers of raptor nest boxes and nest boxes for Swifts.

[Gavin Durrant @GavinDurrant1]

By special request here is a video clip of a Hobby from a trail cam at Carlton marshes @Cybernest @SWTCarltonMarsh

[BC Norfolk @BC_Norfolk]

We would love to receive any reports of White-letter Hairstreaks. They are a hard species to find but we feel they may be under recorded. Populations were badly effected by Dutch Elm disease as it feeds exclusively on that tree but some Elm does remain in hedgerows. 📷 Iain Leach

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

Great to read this interview of @NigelMiddleto12 today! In Conversation with… Nigel Middleton https://t.co/kyRcQqpnrE

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@seamusing @N_Rivers_Trust They are excellent engineers, aren’t they!

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

Spent a wonderful morning on the river Glaven, looking at the positive changes that beavers have made to the landscape within their secure enclosure. Such a worthwhile project by the @N_Rivers_Trust

[Catherine Munro @CatherineMMunro]

Such a beautiful day #Shetland

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

A bricklayer in East Yorkshire has spent 35 years putting up barn owl nest boxes on weekends. This year, the region saw 308 owlets hatch.

His name is Robert Salter. He's 56 and does bricklaying full time. In 1990, he saw a piece on the news about a man in Lincolnshire installing barn owl boxes, and decided he'd do the same. He started with five.

He now has more than 350 boxes scattered across fields, farms, outbuildings, and trees in East Yorkshire. Every June, he takes four weeks off from bricklaying and visits them with his wife Sue. Scrambling up ladders, ringing chicks, cleaning boxes, repairing the ones the weather got to. He's a licensed bird ringer for the British Trust for Ornithology.

In 2024, the region ringed 95 owlets. In 2025, the count was 308. The Barn Owl Trust says that nationally, this year was "pretty poor" for barn owl breeding, but east Yorkshire is the exception, and it's the exception because of one man with a ladder.

The barn owl population in the UK was estimated at 4,000 pairs in the mid-2000s and crashed to roughly 1,000 by the early 2010s. The species is still recovering.

Most of conservation is one person who refuses to give up.

[Dave Goulson @DaveGoulson]

I'm talking about how we can all help with "Saving Our Insects" at Devizes Arts Festival, 9th June, for tickets see link:
https://t.co/OYAYwmCQPx

[Twiggy Bigwood @devilscustard]

Bees hard at work in the garden this afternoon. I plant different types of Salvia in different areas of the garden as they become bee magnets. So lovely to watch them, and, despite the strong wind you can hear in the trees, the bees are sheltered in this patch.

[UKSwifts @swifts_uk]

Please retweet and spread the word!
What to do when you find a grounded swift 👇

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

Great news! The new Swift boxes in west Norfolk have residents!

This is @NigelMiddleto12 installing the box a couple of weeks ago. For more information go to https://t.co/QFngKAJxaT

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@AdeysAlthorp These look great. The Crimson Clover is doing so well this year.

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@AdeysAlthorp Everyone’s a critic😂

[Dave Goulson @DaveGoulson]

In December, the Govt will decide if it will renew the glyphosate licence until 2041…
•That’s 15 more years of impacts on worms, bees, soils and run-off into ponds and rivers, and glyphosate in your food. Sign Garden Organic’s petition NOW to ban this dangerous herbicide.

[Twiggy Bigwood @devilscustard]

For all my dear Twitter pals who are stuck indoors today, come and stand with me this morning and listen to the dawn chorus. The Tawny Owl and the Cuckoo is calling in this, the loudest month for the chorus. Migratory birds join the residents to establish territory.

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@TimScot78560883 @MartinHenstock4 @YWT_North @nybirdnews @HarrogateNats @NosterfieldLNR Fabulous!

[Tim Scott @TimScot78560883]

Two Hobby’s hawking over Ripon Wetlands today were always high and very fast.Thanks to @MartinHenstock4 for finding.@YWT_North @nybirdnews @HarrogateNats @NosterfieldLNR

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@sarahcollins0 We hope so too! They have been to this area before and we have high hopes. We will monitor the boxes and keep everyone up to date. 🤞🏻

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

An evening spent putting up Swift boxes in West Norfolk tonight.

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@AdeysAlthorp 😁😁

[British Farmland Birds of Prey Initiative @Bfbirdsofprey]

@FedUpWithBadAir 😁it is indeed!