Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Summer 1993 - No 55
Clive Hurford

The Countryside Council for Wales is conducting a survey over the winter of 1993-94 to establish the location and number of winter stubbles in the region. The importance of winter stubble fields for finches, larks, buntings, Tree Sparrow, Stock Dove and Grey Partridge is well known, though it is feared that the current distribution and number of such fields in Wales is very few.

The term "stubble field" is generally applied to cereal fields that have been harvested and left unploughed over the winter period, although fields that are left containing weather-beaten crops, eg turnips and swedes, also qualify.

If you know of, or find any stubble fields over the coming winter: can you please let me know? All I need is the location of each field (including a 6-figure grid ref.) in order that a member of the CCW monitoring staff can make a site visit. If you are interested in participating in the survey and would be prepared to carry-out a monthly winter count at any of your local sites, please contact me and I will provide a simple recording form.

Clive Hurford, Monitoring Surveyor, Countryside Council for Wales 43 The Parade, Roath, CARDIFF, CF2 3UH.