SOME of the UK's most endangered birds, including lapwings, twites and curlews, are being offered a lifeline by Huddersfield area farmers.

They are being helped by the Peak Birds Project, a partnership between the RSPB and the Peak District National Park Authority.

Project officials are advising farmers on how they can benefit their farming and help endangered birds through Department of the Environment (Defra) schemes.

National figures out today show the state of wild bird populations.

In England there was little change in species populations overall, with individual species, including the Dartford warbler, woodlark and buzzard, doing exceptionally well.

Details of the Yorkshire and the Humber region are:

* All bird populations, including farmland and woodland species, went up 8% between 1994 and 2002, in line with the national trend. Species doing exceptionally well included the grey heron and stock dove.

* Farmland bird populations showed no significant change between 1994 and 2002, whereas there was a slight decline in the national trend. There have been significant falls in the populations of the reed bunting and grey partridge.

* Woodland bird populations rose 22% between 1994 and 2002. This differed from the national trend, which had seen a slight decrease. Chiffchaff populations are doing particularly well.

Farmers in the region have been encouraged to use land management measures that protect the environment and thus enhance populations of farmland species.

About a third of the UK twite population is found in the South Pennines area between Huddersfield and Sheffield.

The birds use flower-rich upland meadows and the moorland fringe to raise and feed their young.

Volunteers from the RSPB have identified populations of endangered birds on farms. Landowners and farmers have been advised how they can increase and improve areas for the birds.

John Key, who farms at Upper Midhope, near Stocksbridge, said: "We've extended the habitat for wading birds by cutting rushes in the wet pasture and digging shallow pools.

" We leave them an area of grass, which gives them cover, and have improved the sward so that they have food. We've seen an increase in curlews and snipes on the fields, but the lapwing numbers haven't increased yet.

"This is something the RSPB and Defra are looking into, but you can't expect it to change overnight."

Chris Tompson, RSPB project officer for the Peak Birds Project, said: "I am encouraged that the regional wild bird indicators show increases in woodland bird species for a number of regions and the decline in farmland bird species in most regions has stabilised over recent years.

"However there is still more to do as we seek to reverse the long-term decline of farmland and woodland bird populations," added Mr Tompson.