Surfbirds News: July 2007 Archives
Boom in woodlark numbers prompts return to farmland
Woodlarks are returning to breed on England's farmland in greater numbers than at any time in the last 40 years.
A new national survey has found woodlark numbers in the UK have risen by 89 per cent in the last 10 years. The rise has been driven by work to provide suitable habitat – improvements to the size and condition of lowland heaths and good management of forestry plantations.
Woodlark, copyright David Morris
Increasing numbers of the birds now appear to be moving on to farms to breed, with many nesting on set-aside land. There are fears, however, that the imminent loss of set-aside - because of changes in the way Europe pays its farmers - could limit the woodlark's spread unless suitable alternatives are provided.
The results of the survey, carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), RSPB, Natural England and the Forestry Commission (England), show an estimated 3,084 breeding pairs of woodlark, compared with 1,633 pairs in 1997 and the low point of just 241 pairs in 1986.
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