In my second set of waterproofs of the day, I stride, or more accurately, squelch my way across one of the high points of the Estate, Howe Park, checking the establishing habitats and noting jobs that need doing. As another rain shower ends, for the briefest moment, the grey clouds part to reveal the sun and my spirits lift as a Skylark soars up from the fallow singing its way high into the sapphire blue summer sky. 

Skylarks are rather non-descript to look at, definitely falling into the ‘little brown job’ category, but I’ve been fascinated by these optimistic songbirds since spending a couple of field seasons nest finding for a research project many years ago. I’m not alone in my fascination; numerous poems, prose and music have been inspired by this iconic farmland bird species over the centuries. One of my favourite pieces of music ‘The Lark Ascending’ perfectly captures the movement and song of a soaring Skylark. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised; the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was well connected. His great uncle was Charles Darwin!  

The Skylark is associated with a range of open habitats, and often also high ground. Whilst on the Estate we are planting nut trees across open farmland, we have also left open and high areas where Skylarks will be able to thrive, in addition to the year-round habitat created for farm wildlife between tree rows. 

Skylarks nest on the ground, often tucked into the side of a short, meadow grass tussock or similar vegetation. The density and height (>0.5metres) of commercial winter crops such as wheat  limits nesting opportunities, along with the availability of weed seeds and plant shoots for the adults, and invertebrates for typically 3-4 chicks per brood. By comparison, areas of annually cultivated fallow ground between some of our tree rows, are ideal, with an open, low growing and weedy structure. They don’t look pretty to humans, but to a Skylark, they are marvelous.

(Image: Annually cultivated fallow between tree rows, ideal for nesting Skylarks)

I love finding  Skylark nests ( I truly am an anorak!); spending time watching the adults, gradually narrowing down the nest location by eye. As always the male distracts with his spectacular song from above, letting everyone know it is his territory. It is however the female you need to watch. She is incubating the eggs, and if you move through the cover, she will flush silently, giving you an approximate location. That said, as a predator avoidance strategy, she first runs some distance away from her nest before flushing, often leaving you no wiser as to her nest location! This spring, with the constant wet weather, this may have impacted upon nesting success, no doubt with some being abandoned during particularly wet spells, particularly on the heavier ground. 

The other establishing habitats, with their range of sown species for both pollinators and seed production, also serve well as nesting habitat where there are open, lower growing or bare areas. Their suitability for nesting will vary throughout the growing season, which is why providing a wide range of habitat structures, sown at different times with different species, works well, particularly as Skylarks typically have three broods, sometimes four, over a long breeding season, ranging from mid-April through to the end of August, depending upon the weather. 

I know from years of sweep netting and D-vacing (strapping a large, heavy and very loud vacuum to your back and sucking up invertebrates!) that these habitats yield a diverse and abundant range of invertebrates, ideal for feeding fast-growing Skylark chicks. When you watch the parents feed their chicks, they are travelling back and forth to these invertebrate-rich areas constantly for around the 10 days it takes for the chicks to fledge.

(Image: Second year winter bird food cover – also ideal for summer nesting and the provision of invertebrates for brood-rearing )

When summer once more turns to autumn, Skylarks will flock together, often with other species, gathering in habitats with seed provision such as winter bird covers and weedy fallow. A flock of Skylarks is called an exaltation, which is a fitting description I think! 

Of course, I don’t just have eyes for Skylarks, the same suite of habitats has also seen the arrival of a pair of Grey partridge, another classic open farmland bird species dear to my heart, and birder Andy on one of his wombling’s early one morning, heard a Quail for the first time. How quickly wildlife returns when given an opportunity.

(Image: Autumn-sown bumblebird mix – as the name suggests, beneficial for both birds that prefer cereals, such as Yellowhammers, and pollinators)