WHEN farmer Robert Kynaston entered into an environmentally-friendly scheme more than 10 year ago, little did he know he would emerge as a ‘hero’ of the UK countryside. CHARLOTTE HESTER reports.
AS a devoted custodian of the English countryside, Robert Kynaston has dedicated the past 25 years to farming and nurturing hundreds of acres of woodland and fields at his farm.
And now, the third generation farmer from Great Wollaston Farm, near Halfway House, has been hailed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as one of England’s 10 most inspirational wildlife friendly farmers.
Mr Kynaston farms 242 acres and in the past decade he has seen increases in tree sparrows and yellowhammers, brown hares, water voles and great-crested newts along with lapwings and curlews.
Using grants under the agri-environment schemes he has been able to re-generate hedges, plant trees, add buffer strips next to ditches and grow wildlife bird mixtures – all of which help create habitats for threatened farmland birds.
Mr Kynaston, 50, has created his own bird tables out of areas of land, about an acre in size, which he has sown with a mixture of plants including kale and quinoa.
The plants then shed their seeds in autumn which helps farmland birds through the winter. And in the summer the plants attract insects which can then be eaten by the birds.
The RSPB’s agricultural advice team has been scouring the country for the farmers who have shown commitment to providing habitats for skylarks, lapwings, yellowhammers and other wildlife on their land.
Mr Kynaston, who also hosts farm visits to school children and groups throughout the year, told the Chronicle: “Being named as one of England’s agri-environment heroes came as quite a shock. It was a great honour to be put forward for it and I am very happy to do it.
“Why I enjoy it so much is you realise all the benefits you get from the sowing of plants and it is fantastic to see and it spreads out to the rest of the farm.
Winter stubble
“There’s a lot of farmers who do do similar work and who could be called heroes of the countryside as well and this is a way of encouraging farmers that there are huge benefits to joining the scheme.
“What I am finding out more is you have to create different environments for different animals, birds and insects and I am learning all the time.”
He added: “I love to see the finches and sparrows come to the wild seed mixtures to feed in winter and I feel that I have done the right thing in knowing that there are areas for wildlife to live and breed on the farm.
“Agri-envrionment schemes have enabled me to protect and enhance the natural environment far beyond what I could do on my own.”
Kirsty Brannan, the RSPB’s local farmland conservation advisor, said Mr Kynaston was an example of a farmer using ‘smart’ techniques to help these iconic birds.
She said: “By sowing seed rich field margins, restoring hedgerows, leaving over winter stubble and much more, Mr Kynaston has shown he is passionate about protecting the native wildlife that makes its home in our countryside.
“Farmland birds like yellowhammers and grey partridges are an iconic and intrinsic part of the rural landscape and are for many symbols of the Shropshire countryside. Losing them would be a tragedy, but one that many farmers are fighting hard against.
“Through our teams of advisors, our involvement in the Campaign for the Farmed Environment and our lobbying of the EU and UK governments, we will be doing all we can in the coming months to ensure farmers across the country are able to be heroes for the wildlife in their area.”
To find out more about the RSPB visit www.rspb.org.uk
