Endangered birds set spirits soaring

Corn buntings gather on a set-aside field near Devizes in Wiltshire.

The sight of a healthy flock of "fat" corn buntings has got ornithologists all a flutter as it gives fresh hope to the dying breed. Numbers of the bird have plunged to just 10,000 over the past 40 years and they are an endangered species.

A Natural England scheme to pay farmers to improve their environment has seen their numbers rise.