There is something powerful about coming together—farmers, ecologists, conservationists, and community members—to share ideas, challenges, and solutions for the future of our landscapes. Weald to Waves: How Farmland Birds Can Thrive in Modern Agriculture offered an inspiring and practical vision of how farming and wildlife can thrive together. Featuring ecologist Toby Fountain and Herefordshire farmer Ben Andrews, the event explored the delicate balance between productive land use and the biodiversity it supports—particularly the bird species that have long called our countryside home.

Fountain spoke of how birds such as the barn owl, curlew, yellowhammer, and skylark have evolved alongside centuries of low-intensity farming. These species are closely tied to the traditional features of rural landscapes: thick hedgerows, seasonally wet meadows, wildflower-rich margins, and small ponds scattered across the land. In places like Sussex, this mosaic once supported an extraordinary range of farmland birdlife.

In recent decades, however, many of these habitats have been steadily lost. Changes in land use—whether through agricultural intensification, urban development, or large-scale infrastructure projects—have simplified the landscape. Hedgerows have been removed to create larger fields; ponds and wetlands have been drained; grass margins and fallow areas have disappeared. These changes have reduced the availability of food, nesting sites, and safe corridors for movement, leaving many species vulnerable.

In Sussex, the skylark—a species famous for its soaring, bubbling song—requires open, undisturbed fields with sparse vegetation to nest successfully. Without thoughtful management, these habitats are easily lost to frequent mowing or trampling.

Yellowhammers rely on thick, uncut hedgerows and seed-rich field edges to raise their young. Barn owls depend on rough grassland alive with voles and shrews—habitat that often vanishes under uniform, short-cropped pasture or development. Even curlews, once a familiar sight in wet meadows, are now a rare sound in many parts of the county.

Yet alongside these challenges, the evening’s speakers offered hope.

Ben Andrews shared how his farm in Herefordshire has embraced nature-positive practices—not as an add-on, but as part of the farm’s working model. By restoring hedgerows, reintroducing ponds, maintaining field margins, and adopting low-input systems, he has enhanced both biodiversity and long-term resilience. His example demonstrates that it’s entirely possible to produce food and create habitat at the same time.

The event underscored a central message: modern land use can, with the right knowledge and intention, become a driver of ecological recovery rather than decline. While the pressures facing wildlife are complex and come from multiple directions, there are real, tangible ways to reverse the damage.

A thriving countryside in Sussex and beyond is not only possible—it’s already being built, one hedgerow, pond, and wildflower strip at a time.