Southill, Bedfordshire: On a ringing session of seed-eating farmland birds, I see up close the subtle beauty of the yellowhammer

We’ve just released a second blitz of tits, when we notice that the mist net along the field edge has caught a sunbeam. The cold orange light that spilt over the horizon at dawn and pooled above the fields is long gone; the teasel, knapweed and bristly oxtongue seedheads are no longer haloed with hoarfrost. Instead, they’re drawing ground-feeding birds down to forage among the wild grasses and flowers.

The fallow fields around us are part of an ambitious project to restore ecosystems across more than 1,500 acres of the Southill Estate. The plan includes creating new ponds, allowing land to revert to native scrub, and planting woodland for coppicing. Today’s visit is one of a series of winter ringing sessions to monitor the birds flocking to the fields. I’ve tagged along with my dad (a licensed ringer) and Suzy (a trainee). Their primary aim is to record seed-eating farmland species, many of which – such as greenfinch and corn bunting – are on the UK red list. And we’re in luck. Linnets lurk in the scrub and tinklings of goldfinches pass overhead.