Planning skylark plots now can benefit wildlife and farmers
Farmers can give wildlife, and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, a helping hand by planning skylark plots into their Autumn drilling.
RSPB and NFU advisors are urging farmers to consider putting skylark plots in place either by turning off the drill during sowing or by spraying out patches at a later date. As well as providing a boost for wildlife the plots are also counted as a key target option in the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.
Richard Winspear, RSPBs head of farmland advice, said: Farmers across the UK who are currently sowing overwintering crops should consider this option which is proven to provide benefits for wildlife.
They are very simple to deliver the drill can either be switched off during drilling or the patches can be sprayed out afterwards and they require less than a third of one per cent of total land area.
Its something any farmer can do to benefit wildlife and it also means they can support the industrys Campaign for the Farmed Environment.
Dr Andrea Graham, NFU countryside advisor, said: Under Entry level Stewardship skylark plots are one of the best paying options for the area of land they occupy and are starting to become more common in arable fields across the country.
Now that skylark plots can be sprayed out this is a more practical option for farmers. They are one of the key target options in the Campaign, so the more we see in our countryside, the more successful the Campaign will be.
RSPB research has shown that if 10 to 20 per cent of winter wheat crops in an area feature skylark plots then the local skylark population will stop declining
Skylarks use the plots for foraging rather than nesting. In fields of winter cereal without plots, birds often find the crops too dense by the end of spring and are forced out.
Work on developing the plots has found the ideal number is two per hectare and they should be sited away from the edge of the field. Typical plots are 4×4 metres.
Information on the benefits of skylark plots and how to implement them, along with a video filmed at the RSPBs Hope Farm can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/skylarkplots
The Campaign for the Farmed Environment involves farming and wildlife groups working in partnership to extend and enhance the environmental benefits provided by set-aside and existing countryside stewardship schemes in three key areas: farmland birds, farm wildlife and the protection of soil and water. The partners are the Country Land and Business Association, National Farmers Union, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds RSPB, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, the Environment Agency and Natural England For further information please go to www.cfeonline.org.uk