GROUPS of primary school children have joined the effort across Fife to save the rare corn bunting from extinction in Scotland.
The corn bunting is one of the most threatened species of bird native to Scotland, but a huge effort in the area has seen numbers start to recover, though the species is still officially classed as under threat.
In cooperation with Fife Council and local farmers and estates, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland (RSPB) has mounted a Corn Bunting Recovery Project.
Initial signs are that after its numbers fell by 89 per cent between 1989 and 2007, the species has just had its best year since monitoring began, with territories up 18 per cent to 73.
Now 150 children from Elie, Crail and Pittenweem primaries have joined the project by creating giant “bird tables” with wild bird seed mix at designated Fife Council sites close to the schools. Their efforts will provide a vital food source for corn buntings and other farmland birds over the winter.
The seed mix also contains wildflowers including clover and linseed which will encourage pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
Elaine Paterson, headteacher at Pittenweem Primary School, said: “The children enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the corn buntings and to play their part in helping to increase their numbers by sowing a wild patch to provide a suitable habitat for them.
“They particularly enjoyed stomping the seeds into the ground.”
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