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Farmers help the skylark
YORKSHIRE'S skylarks are bucking the national trend – and it could be down to help from the county's farmers.
According to the latest statistics, skylark numbers in Yorkshire rose by nearly a quarter between 1994 and 2006, whereas in the rest of England populations of this delightful little bird have declined.
The survey, conducted by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), shows a 23 per cent increase in Yorkshire's skylarks during the period 1994 to 2006 and the RSPB and Natural England think the increase could be thanks largely to farmers providing the right conditions for the bird to thrive.
Chris Tomson, RSPB farmland bird adviser, said: "Why have skylarks increased in Yorkshire and declined elsewhere? Skylarks breed mainly on farmland so we should look at what is happening on farms in the region.
"Perhaps the answer is that farmers in the county manage such a varied range of farmed habitats from lowland grassland and arable up to the pastoral systems of the uplands."
For skylarks to breed successfully they need a combination of winter food, insects to eat in spring and summer and favourable nesting sites – which make up the so-called Big Three.
Skylarks can produce up to three broods a year given the right nesting conditions and they need this success rate to increase their population.
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Weather for Driffield
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 10 C
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