The autumn sees some change in the bird population of fields and farms. The insect eaters like swallows, shrikes, flycatchers and warblers depart, and waders like the curlew may come down from the moors to spend the winter. Flocks of lapwings and starlings can be seen roaming the fields in winter, and pheasants and partridges come to root about in the open after hiding away during the breeding season.

Finches like the goldfinch and linnet may nest on farmland and roam the fields in winter. In the summer, swallows, shrikes and flycatchers hunt for insects on the wing, while in the cornfields, quails skulk among the wheat or other grains. Several birds make their homes around farm buildings, finding that food and nesting materials are readily available. Barn owls may use straw to nest in barns, and swallows and house martins often make their mud nests on farms. The grain attracts collared doves and pigeons. Pied or white wagtails are a common sight, perching on walls or roofs and running about the farmyard.

Throughout Britain, forested land has been cleared of trees and, marshland has been drained to make way for farming. The result, from a bird's point of view, is a varied landscape of fields, hedgerows, scattered trees and isolated farm buildings that provide many places to feed and nest. Some take direct advantage of the farmer. Sparrows and rooks descend on fields of crops and grains to feed, and gulls follow ploughs to eat worms and grubs that are exposed as the soil is turned over. These birds may be seen on fields at all times of the year, and so too may magpies and jackdaws, seeking anything to eat. Lapwings root in the fields during the winter, and hide their nests among the grass in summer. Over them hovers the kestrel, seeking mice and other small animals on the ground below. In the spring, the bushes and hedgerows provide nesting places for many small birds. Buntings like the yellowhammer may be seen singing there, Dunnocks and warblers like blackcaps are nesting birds of hedgerows, and the long-tailed tit makes its delicate domed nest in a bush or tree.