West Wiltshire Downs to be visited by Countryfile

Following on from my last blog discussing the BBC4 programme featuring historic sites in the AONB. This is not the only time this year that BBC cameras will be trained on the West Wiltshire Downs. My collegue Tracy Adams is preparing to help a presenter from the BBC's Countryfile explore the Downland in search of farmland birds.


Tracy is the AONB officer for the South Wiltshire Farmland Bird Project. This is part of an exciting initative working closely with farmers to stablise and increase the numbers of farmland birds and rare arable plants

The South Wiltshire Farmland Bird Project is part of the Wessex Water Partners Programme which provides funding to projects which will conserve and enhance biodiversity.

The bird species

The project concentrates on six bird species, the ‘Arable 6’, and hotspots for arable plants. The ‘Arable 6’ are:

• Grey partridge
• Lapwing
• Turtle dove
• Yellow wagtail
• Tree sparrow
• Corn bunting

They are specialists which depend on arable farmland.

Why not follow Tracy on Twitter to keep up to date with her progress.