Country diary: Return of the butterscotch humbugs

A male cirl bunting. ‘Every one of these little beacons of hope, lighting up the hedgerows, is a cause for optimism.’ Photograph: Charlie Elder

Up ahead, beneath dried splinters of cut kale, the ground appears to shift. A ripple of small birds is working its way through the stubble in the morning sun, foraging on fallen seed. Occasionally they raise their heads, striped like humbugs, the colour of caramel or butterscotch, and I count quickly, scarcely able to believe my luck.

I have come to this sloping stretch of farmland on the south Devon coast in the hope of spotting just one of these rare sparrow-sized birds. Instead, I have stumbled across a chattering flock numbering upwards of a dozen.

A view of the coastal fields and scrub-covered rocky outcrops around Prawle Point. Photograph: Charlie Elder

They are cirl buntings – pronounced “sirl” – and these close relatives of the yellowhammer have every reason to sound chirpy. Once spread across 39 counties, cirl buntings drained from the countryside during the 20th century as agricultural practices intensified, leaving just over a hundred pairs in the west country. A desperate bid to save the species from extinction in the UK was launched in the 1990s by the RSPB, working with local farmers to ensure hedge-lined fields and coastal scrub were providing sufficient food and nesting sites.

Thanks to the concerted conservation work, these yellow and brown buntings now number more than a thousand pairs, strung out along the southern edge of Devon and Cornwall.

While still far from common, the cirl bunting embodies something every bit as rare these days: a wildlife good news story. And watching the feeding flock, I feel fortunate to witness such a precious sight first-hand.

Eventually they fly to a nearby blackthorn bush overlooking the sea, perching in the sunshine, seemingly enjoying the mild weather and companionship of their kind. Among them, there is a handsome male in brighter breeding plumage, sporting stencil-sharp black-and-lemon head stripes.

The cirl bunting may sound like an obscurity for the ornithological connoisseur, with its peculiar name of Italian origin and restricted range, but this is now a species anyone can encounter on a stroll along the South West Coast Path, well accustomed to passing hikers and dog walkers.

Every one of these little beacons of hope, lighting up the hedgerows, is a cause for optimism. Roll out the bunting and celebrate this conservation success.

• Country Diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary