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Plotting for skylarks

Roger relates how he's got skylarks that came back to nest last year on his farm. When the skylarks use this particular field on the top of the farm, they nest within a few feet of where they nested the previous year. It’s amazing how birds come back to a certain area again and again. They’re back again this year so the farmer is delighted. Because they nest on the ground, skylarks are vulnerable to tractors. On modern farms silage is sometimes cut as early as May and the chicks don’t stand a chance. In cereal fields, the new wildlife friendly schemes encourage farmers to leave little squares of land known as 'skylark plots' especially for these birds. And there’s more money available if a farmer is prepared, like Roger, to make hay instead of silage, giving not just birds, but wild flowers more of a chance.

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