Skylark May Disappear from Richmond Park


Urgent action needed due to nests being disturbed by increased footfall

Skylark at risk in Richmond Park
Skylark at risk in Richmond Park

A warning has been issued by the Royal Parks that skylarks could be lost from Richmond Park.

The impact of increased footfall during this latest lockdown could lead to the park’s iconic skylark being lost if the nests are trampled on or disturbed by dogs.

A similar threat presents itself at Bushy Park as both parks have remained open throughout the pandemic to provide vital green space.

But certain areas of Richmond Park – designated a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest - are host to many important wildlife species, such as skylark.

Skylark are small, streaked brown birds, larger than a sparrow but smaller than a starling. They are ground-nesting birds, which breed from March to September. They are distinguishable by a spectacular song-flight, during which the bird rises almost vertically with rapid wing-beats, hovering for several minutes and then parachuting down. Song-flights of up to one hour have been recorded, and the birds can reach 1,000 feet high before descending.

For many years, The Royal Parks has asked people to avoid harming the nests by keeping dogs on short leads on paths within skylark breeding territories. The perimeter of these areas is marked by signs. But greater visitor numbers walking off paths and dogs not on leads is putting this species at risk.

Simon Richards, Park Manager, Richmond Park, said, “Richmond Park has been busier than we have ever seen it before – with recent visitor numbers greater than a ‘normal’ Spring Bank Holiday weekend. We welcome everyone to enjoy the natural environment, however increased footfall and disturbance to the environment can have a detrimental impact on wildlife.

“Skylark nest in the acid grassland of the park and their nests can be located in areas just off the paths. These birds are in decline nationally and the nests can be destroyed if trodden on by accident or disturbed by dogs. We conserve areas for skylark and count them. There were a total of only 18 pairs observed attempting to breed in the park in 2020 – and no skylark managed to establish territories in one of the previously populated areas of the park.

"Without urgent action, this species may be lost from the park for ever. This would result in the loss of one of the few remaining populations of skylark in London and we don’t want to add them to the list of wildlife that’s no longer here.”

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 


March 3, 2021