Tree sparrows are among the birds to benefit

Environment Minister Elliot Morley said some threatened birds are recovering because of conservation measures.

Farmers in Cumbria have joined others round the country in signing up to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

A range of "green farming" projects are helping wild birds ranging from waders and grey partridge to barnacle geese and tree sparrows.

One of those highlighted is Keith Temple, from Raughton Head, near Carlisle, whose work has resulted in a growing population of tree sparrows.

'No complacency'

This autumn, the birds are back, feeding along a special 300m wildlife strip that has been planted with special crops to provide food. Alongside them are bullfinch and reed buntings.

Mr Morley said: "These figures show some encouraging signs that our policies for biodiversity are resulting in positive outcomes for birds, but there is no room for complacency and much more remains to be done."

He said it was encouraging to see numbers of scarce birds, like the woodlark and Dartford warbler were increasing, reflecting the amount of work being done, but there were still some worrying declines.

The government allocates �145m a year to the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme, which help maintain and improve habitats for birds.