I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that it took me a while to identify this bird. I saw it/them last week. There were a few of them in the same vicinity as Yellowhammers and Fieldfare. My first thought was Dunnock or Pippit, but my son took one look and said “Corn Bunting”.
“There are 11,000 pairs in Britain. The population has fallen by 90% since 1970.”
RSPB Handbook of British Birds, p302.
The decline is put down to agricultural changes, which have removed habitat and reduced food supplies. This is now understood and farmers are being encouraged to provide wide field margins with no pesticide. One to watch over the next few years to see if these changes have the desired positive effect.
Stephen's Wildlife 