Blogs

There have been varied reports from the 2025/26 season on the potential challenges that shoots have faced.

We have around 50 native species of orchid in the UK. While many are spectacularly beautiful, some are the very opposite of the big supermarket specials – tiny plants with little green flowers that can be very hard to find as they hide amongst the surrounding vegetation.

Recent concerns around avian diseases such as trichomonosis have triggered warnings from the RSPB, and others that bird feeders may no longer always be a helpful way to connect to nature in our gardens, particularly during the summer months. New “feed seasonally, feed safely” guidelines hope to slow the spread of disease, which is largely blamed for declines in species such as greenfinches and chaffinches.

With the upcoming long-awaited good weather, dog walkers and their canine companions will soon be enjoying the scenic walks and health benefits the outdoors have to offer. At the same time, many of our ground-nesting birds will be incubating while later arrivals will be starting to build their nests.

So many staff across our field teams, advisors and scientists are dedicated to understanding and supporting farmland bird communities, sparrows included!

On 1 January 2026, Natural England issued new and updated General Licences for wild bird control. While the changes are largely light-touch, there are a number of practical differences that wildlife managers, gamekeepers and landowners need to be aware of, understand and factor into their planning for the year ahead.

NatureScot has issued new General Licences for 2026, which are in effect from 1 January to 31 December 2026. Wildlife managers operating under General Licences are required to understand the current licences and comply with their terms and conditions.

As winter seems to be in full swing, many organisations are encouraging us to feed the birds. They are reminding everyone to maintain consistency, while also advising on what and how to feed for the best results. This is largely targeted towards garden birds, which can be significant when our gardens make up 4.6% of the land use in the UK. However, farmland makes up a huge 72% of the land use in the UK.

A panel of judges made up of GWCT ecologists and advisors and external experts in relevant fields spent the summer months visiting the finalists to see their conservation work in action. Following lengthy deliberations, the judges selected these winners.

For all shoots in England impacted by the licensing arrangements introduced by Natural England this year on European Designated Sites and their buffers, there is an opportunity to feedback to Natural England on how your shoot has been affected.