MORE and more farmers in Yorkshire are going green to help their feathered friends.
They are helping restore breeding grounds for wild birds across the region.
Since last August, nearly 2,000 farmers have entered agreements under the Entry Level and Organic Entry Level Stewardship scheme, which pays farmers to create new habitats for wildlife.
This brings nearly a quarter of a million hectares of countryside into environmentally friendly management - around 20% of all farmland in the region. Nationally, over 30% of English farmland is under some sort of environmental agreement.
The schemes provide year-round food supplies and suitable nesting habitats, helping the effort to reverse the decline in wild bird populations.
Figures published today by Defra show native wild bird populations in Yorkshire and Humber have risen by 21%, slightly above the national trend.
Species doing particularly well include coot, buzzard and raven.
Woodland birds have increased by 15% in the period between 1994 and 2004, well above the national trend.
