AN AGRICULTURAL college is playing a key role in the battle to save endangered birds.

Bishop Burton College, near Beverley, is unique in being home to a Centre for Applied Ornithology - and its 1,000-acre farm is also one of three in Yorkshire which is piloting the new arable options available under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

The options include many of the farming practices of 50 years ago, when field margins and corners were wider and not as tidy. They encourage hedgerows and the practice of leaving stubble in fields after harvest to improve food resources and habitats for birds and other wildlife.

David Braithwaite, head of the ornithology centre at the college, said that, over recent years, farms had become very sterile compared with what they used to be. "We've got to overcome established preconceptions and educate people that a bit of wilderness is a good thing," he said.

Another factor had been the switch from spring sowing to autumn sowing which affected nesting and feed conditions for certain birds.

A Government report in 1997 showed a devastating national decline in many farmland birds.

Between 1969 and 1994 it found tree sparrow numbers had fallen by 89pc; grey partridge by 82pc; corn bunting 80pc; lapwing 63pc; skylark 58pc and linnet 52pc.

Amazingly, insect-eating starlings were also in national decline, thought to be the result of fewer cattle being overwintered, with a corresponding reduction of muck in fields.

Since adopting more environmentally friendly methods, however, the college farm had seen tree sparrow numbers rise from none in 1997 to 50 today with a regular flock of 20; lapwings also rose from none to seven breeding pairs last year.

One of the biggest success stories had been yellowhammers, of which 66 were ringed in the winter of 2001/02.

On Wednesday of last week, during a farm visit, there was an abundance of yellowhammers, greenfinches and sparrows to be seen.

The 1,000-acre farm is mostly arable and is very typical of those found on the Wolds. Mr Braithwaite described it as "a green laboratory".

The ornithology centre was established 20 months ago and has 23 students on a foundation degree course, which includes catching, ringing and recording birds on the farm, under strict supervision.

The farm has a combination of open fields and scattered woodlands and attracts birds en route to or from nesting grounds.

Birds found on the farm also include linnets, corn buntings, tree and hedge sparrows and grey partridge.

Among the options the college has adopted is leaving stubble in the ground after harvest, as habitat for corn buntings and skylarks, both of which are on the RSPB's "red list" of birds of conservation concern.

Round most fields, three- and six-metre margins have been established and will be complemented by areas seeded with special wildflower or pollen mixes to provide food for invertebrates and birds.

Hedgerows form the majority of field boundaries and offer shelter and food for a variety of ground-nesting birds. Use of herbicides is strictly limited.

Robin Rank, who runs the ornithology centre with Mr Braithwaite, said the students had spotted the difference in the fields.

"Farmers are rightly proud of their land and many keep their field boundaries and hedges pristine," he said. "Many would probably say our field margins are untidy. Some students have observed that's not how their fathers farm, but that their grandfathers would recognise what we are doing.

"The type of farming we've become used to, with very tidy, weed-free fields, is only about 50 years old. Agriculture moves in circles and we can tolerate a few more non-competitive weeds for the wider benefits they bring."

Paul Robinson, farm manager, believed the majority, if not all, arable farmers should be able to adopt the options. "Although we are a college farm, we are commercial and have to run profitably," he said.

"The arable option scheme is going to be financially beneficial for us and should be for most farmers."

He felt the option should be easier for most farms to implement than the college, simply because of all the people involved with the college farm.

Mr Rankin also stressed the need for the farm to be run profitably. "We are still in the top 25pc of farms in terms of yield," he said. "We achieved our A and B quotas for sugar beet, with a lot of C quota left, so we can tolerate a low-weed population in the field, and we've found that doing this provides food for dunnocks hedge sparrows."

Mike Green of Defra's rural development service, is advising the college on its ten-year stewardship agreement. He was thrilled when the college agreed to pilot the arable options scheme and encouraged other farms to apply.

"There's also a wealth of assistance available from organisations like the RSPB, FWAG Group and independent environmental advisers or land agents," he said.

Defra has increased the stewardship scheme's budget this year to £3.25m in the Yorkshire and Humber region for new applications. The deadline for joining this year or renewing existing agreements is April 30