The Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), encouraged farmers and landowners to count the species and number of birds on their land during a two-week window from February 6-22.

But after the prolonged rain during that period, organisers have decided to extend the count by another week until March 1 - giving more "working conservationists" a chance to get out onto their land to count their birds.

The count provides a valuable snapshot of wildlife populations on agricultural land, and aims to raise awareness of the vital role that farmers and other land managers play in the conservation of native farmland birds.

Last year, for the seventh year running, Norfolk was the top contributor, registering 134 counts - around 10pc of the national total - with Suffolk in second place with 101 counts.

Nearly 359,000 birds were spotted in 2025 across almost 700,000 acres of the nation's farmland, with 125 different species recorded, including 26 on the threatened "red list".

Dr Roger Draycott, GWCT’s director of advisory, said: “With an extra week to participate in the BFBC, we would encourage people to wait for a gap in the wet weather and take the opportunity to take part in this hugely important survey of the UK’s farmland birds.

"The BFBC gives us a valuable national picture of the impact of farmers’ contribution to conservation and the data helps us demonstrate why it is essential that the government continues to adequately fund agri-environment measures.

"The more farmers who take part, the clearer the picture we get of trends in the abundance of species and the stronger the message to policymakers.”

Signing up for the Big Farmland Bird Count is free and the GWCT says no specialist knowledge or equipment are required - just the willingness to spend half an hour on the farm observing the birds around you.

New digital tools are also available such as the Merlin Bird ID app and the PerdixPro Fieldbook app, which can be downloaded onto mobile phones or tablets to simplify the recording of results for farmers, rangers, gamekeepers, ornithologists and other bird enthusiasts taking part.

For details on how to take part, bird identification guides and count sheets, see www.bfbc.org.uk.

© Eastern Daily Press