Skylark plots

These are used to encourage Skylark to nest in autumn-sown crops such as winter barley. By the time such crops get to the springtime they are too tall and dense for nesting Skylark.

Skylark plots:

• are small, uncropped areas left in autumn-sown crops which provide sites for Skylark to nest in
• each one covers about 25 square metres
• they are most effective away from hedges and tramlines (the lines made by sprayers in crops).
• we have 20 each year in our winter barley which receive funding from the Environmental Stewardship schemes
• we have not done any formal monitoring, but on casual counts we have observed Skylark flying up from about half the plots