Lapwings nest in the stubble of typhon (a leafy fodder crop) after it has been grazed through the winter. Damp areas of the field are left uncultivated and the damp grassland provides good foraging areas for chicks after this has also been grazed down through the winter.

Hywel Williams manages his upland farm for lapwings by careful attention to sward management to create the right nesting conditions, rush management, scrape creation and predator control. His habitat management is supported by Tir Gofal.

A trial of leaving natural regeneration on rotational set-aside for two years without any management was conducted on Grange Farm, the RSPB arable farm in Cambridgeshire. This case study explains the wildlife benefits of this action and the agronomic implications in the following crops.

The farmer has established wild bird seed mixtures primarily for winter food for tree sparrows. Plots have suffered from flea beetle, which needed a spray, and rabbit damage, which led to a change in the mix to introduce triticale, which is more resistent to rabbit grazing.

Langdon Barton Farm took up the ‘Cirl Bunting Special Project’ in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, where farmers in south Devon were offered the option of low-input spring barley followed by over-wintered stubble for £150/ha. Similar management is now possible across England within Higher Level Stewardship. John Andrews describes his experience of doing this for the last five years.

One area of the farm is particularly attractive to breeding waders. These have been encouraged by a grazing regime where most of the grazing is undertaken by the suckler herd in the summer and autumn (which fits in with the farming system) and creation of a few small scrapes to extend the period of surface wetness in the fields. Rushes have become very dominant in some areas and a contractor has been brought in to make a greater effort to reduce the problem using a flail mower and herbicide applied with a weed wiper.

A package of field margin strips with native wildflowers, pollen and nectar mixtures, conservation headlands, wild bird seed mixtures and over-wintered stubbles have resulted in a dramatic increase in grey partridge numbers over 5 years, as well as supporting populations of yellow wagtail, corn bunting, linnet and turtle dove. Nesting Lapwings have returned to the farm following the introduction of fallow plots and sensitive grassland management.

Cornflowers believed to be of native origin were found on a National Trust Property. Management using set-aside with a derogation to cultivate the green cover (management which could now be supported by Higher Level Stewardship) have boosted numbers of cornflowers and other rare arable plants on this farm.

Rotational set-aside is the most cost-effective break between wheat crops on Imberhorne Farm and seems to be benefiting skylarks through the winter. Spraying can normally be held back until June, providing food and nesting habitat for birds in the spring.

The Entry Level Stewardship options of undersown spring cereals, and cereals for whole crop silage followed by over-wintered stubbles fit in well on this dairy farm in Shropshire. Other options that could be accommodated include Brassica fodder crops followed by over-winter stubbles (ELS), reduced herbicide cereal crop management preceding over-wintered stubble (HLS) and low-input spring cereal (HLS).