A Deeping St Nicholas conservation farm is sponsoring a cuckoo.
Vine House Farm has helped the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) ring and track one of the birds whose numbers are in decline.
And visitors to its farm shop and cafe have named the bird to be tracked Cuthbert.
Tracking him will enable researchers to better understand migration routes and wintering grounds in the hope what is learned can help reverse the delince in population.
Lucy Taylor, who is the managing director of Vine House Farm Bird Foods, said: “We’ve recently started an official partnership with the BTO, with this seeing us support the organisation in several ways and including financially.
“We’ve done this for a number of reasons, but central to it is that we want to support like-minded organisations who share our values around wildlife conservation and especially for birds.
“For this particular initiative of sponsoring the satellite tagging of a cuckoo, it’s a very tangible way for us to get behind the BTO’s vital work and therefore help raise public awareness about the plight of this once more common and fascinating species of bird.”
Dr Chris Hewson, lead scientist on the BTO Cuckoo Tracking Project, said: “It is only because of the generous support that we receive from Vine House Farm and our other cuckoo sponsors that we have been able to establish how the different migration routes used by these birds contribute to the declines seen in their breeding populations.
“While there are some important questions still to address, our research is already informing conservation action.”
For more information and to track Cuthbert visit Cuckoo Tracking – Vine House Farm
