Skylark
One bird which seems to be taken for granted is the Skylark. We have lost over ONE MILLION breeding pairs of Skylarks since 1970; that means we have lost more than TWO MILLION individuals. How are we happy with that? Why isn’t this causing outrage throughout the land?
Skylarks are smallish sandy brown birds, with paler, streaked underparts. They have white outer-tail feathers, and a white fringe to the lower edge of their wings. They can sometimes display a crest, especially when they are excited, alarmed or agitated. They are most famed for their songs, which are often given in long flights as they ascend from the ground and rise higher and higher until they are a specks in the sky or even disappear into low cloud. The song isn’t the most melodic in the world - as it contains many harsh notes, but it is distinctive and uplifting. It may also last for five minutes or longer. Sometimes a torrent of notes appears to cascade from the sky as they slowly descend to the ground, singing all the while. Skylarks have been celebrated by many poets including Shelley, John Clare, George Meredith, Thomas Hardy, Wordsworth and during World War One by Isaac Rosenberg. Of course the most popular choice on Desert Island Discs, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Lark Ascending” was also inspired by this popular songster.
Every class will definitely encounter Skylarks this term, but they will be less frequently seen and heard than the first class in 2003. The reasons why Skylarks have declined all over Europe is complex, but it is believed that the lack of stubble fields left through the winter is one, and the related problem of Autumn sowing of crops, rather than in the Spring is another. The spraying of poisonous chemicals during the crop growing season must be another. If something cannot be done to reverse the decline, and indeed cause a growth in population, then there must be very little hope for the conservation of wildlife in general, and in the long run for humans themselves.
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