Skylark: Incredible Encounters in the Wild
Skylark (encounters in the wild) is a book by Scotland’s renowned nature writer, who with passion and vision, relives memorable encounters with one of our best-loved creatures, offering intimate insights into their extraordinary lives.
Skylarks are small brown birds (larger than sparrows but smaller than starlings) with streaky brown feathers and a white-sided tail. It’s a close contender with nightingales for the bird world’s most beautiful song!
Watch this bird poisoned on a tussock, awaiting a signal from the wind: a thumbs up, an urging gust. Lift-off is gently inclined and silent.
The transformations from gentle incline to vertical flight (and from silence to song) coincide within a few airborne seconds, a few feet of ascent.
The song is full-throated from the first note, as self-confident as the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth or Armstrong’s West End Blues. There is no preamble, no subtle dropped hint of the glories to come.
- If you live with cats, keep them indoors at dusk and dawn, when garden birds are feeding.
- Don’t feed birds stale, mouldy or crusty bread (nor buttered bread, fat can smear on feathers, affecting weatherproofing and insulation).
- Never use brightly-coloured or tin bird houses (they overheat and attract predators).
- Read more on create safe havens for garden birds, and how to stop birds flying into windows
- Don’t play birdsong near birds, it can confuse and attract predators.
