A bracing spring day (ultimately!) and a brisk amble throughout Farthing Downs and Happy Valley is perhaps simply the factor for a Bank Holiday Monday.
Protected species: fencing has gone up on Farthing Downs to guard skylark nests
But the rangers who take care of the wildlife and habitat on Croydon’s downs and commons are asking the general public to train a little bit of care and a focus as we enter the nesting season for one of many nation’s most pleasant birds, and red-list endangered species, the skylark.
Over on Roundshaw Downs, beside the continually busy Purley Way, the place Inside Croydon carried out a year-long photo-story in 2022, the skylarks may very well be heard this yr on February 10 – the earliest in a very unscientific little bit of monitoring of that website going again over the previous 10 years, however probably one other signal of the advance of spring and world warming.
At Farthing Downs, to assist these valuable ground-nesting birds prosper, the rangers working for the City of London Corporation, who oversee this particular place, have put up some short-term fencing.
In a posting on the weekend, the rangers mentioned, “Like the previous few years, short-term fencing for skylarks has been put up on the highest of Farthing Downs to offer room for a few of these birds to nest with out being disturbed in the course of the vital breeding season.
“Since we began this challenge, we’ve seen a number of pairs of skylark efficiently exhibiting indicators of nesting habits throughout the fenced space.
“Often heard earlier than they’re seen, the skylark is a small, streaked brown chicken. The males mark their territories with an unimaginable lengthy, rattling music flight earlier than ‘parachuting’ again right down to the bottom.
“Between March and September, skylarks nest openly on the ground which makes them vulnerable to predators, people, and inquisitive dogs. Sadly, repeated disturbances from dogs cause the birds to abandon their nests, with any eggs then eaten by predators such as foxes and crows.” There are sometimes massive flocks of grasping magpies to be seen round skylark nest websites, too.
“Skylark numbers have massively declined within the UK (by 61% within the final 40 years) so to maintain these wonderful birds we are able to all do our bit.
“For dog owners, that includes keeping your dog under close control or, better still on a lead, even away from the enclosure as skylarks do nest across other parts of the downs too.”
Read extra: Heard earlier than they’re seen, skylarks soar again over Roundshaw
Read extra: National Reserve standing granted for Coulsdon’s Farthing Downs
Read extra: Up on the Downs, looking forward to the lacking indicators of winter
Read extra: How Coulsdon’s downland oasis helps to avoid wasting the planet
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