Skylark 21 February 2021 Through wind and showers I thought I heard skylark over Kendal Race Course but could see nothing. Not the full song but a contact call I recognise. Then the sun broke through cloud, a hint of blue appeared and I headed for skylark territory. The moment I reached the spot I had predicted a male skylark rose in full song, a year to the day. Not a chance encounter, I had hoped and prayed and here they are on cue. My first skylark of 2025 and spring is in the air.
At this season, in this spot, I always listen for the return of skylark on local migration from the coast. The last week had been bitterly cold with an east wind that kept me hooded, insulated against the cold but also from sotto voce contact calls. Today is milder with a mix of sun and showers and, in sheltered spots, warm enough to tempt a Peacock butterfly out of hibernation. I glimpse its colour but when it settles in the grass it shows only as a dark shape.
The return of skylark to Scout Scar isn't always so dramatic. Often, skylark are on the edge of perception. I'm sure I've heard them, but faintly. And to hear full song and to see them clearly in late February is a joy. Usually, skylark arrive and spend the first week or two settling in with nothing more than contact calls.
This change in the temperature seems to have awakened Nature and there's more to discover.
The return of skylark to Scout Scar isn't always so dramatic. Often, skylark are on the edge of perception. I'm sure I've heard them, but faintly. And to hear full song and to see them clearly in late February is a joy. Usually, skylark arrive and spend the first week or two settling in with nothing more than contact calls.
This change in the temperature seems to have awakened Nature and there's more to discover.
The Peacock butterfly must have come from a patch of brambles and a fringe of trees where it is hibernating. It's a location where I've found adder basking on warm limestone clitter, in spring but not in February. There a hazel shrub against a stone wall and its catkins are fully open and I find a ruby female flower. It's facing south in a sheltered hollow because hazel catkins lower downslope show no sign of opening to flower. Hazel catkins are the only source of nectar and pollen I can see so how might a venturesome butterfly sustain itself?
Last week there were few signs of spring. Next day saw rain and strong winds that whistled through a window frame. So this interlude with my first skylark of spring was the more welcome.
Last week there were few signs of spring. Next day saw rain and strong winds that whistled through a window frame. So this interlude with my first skylark of spring was the more welcome.
24 February 2025
In conversation with Martha Kearney, naturalist Richard Mabey observed that nature writing is often about the writer rather than nature. It's a pitfall I always hope to avoid. But February 2025 is unique in seeing locals reunite on Scout Scar after being denied access to the countryside on our doorstep for eight months. We share our feelings on what it means to be back. Sometimes, I encounter birders I've known for some while and whose reporting I trust. Peter tells me he heard skylark in full song in the first week of February, in the location I heard one two days ago. Then, during the phase of an east wind with bitter weather, all fell silent. To resume on 22nd.
Today was blustery and I heard nothing.
In conversation with Martha Kearney, naturalist Richard Mabey observed that nature writing is often about the writer rather than nature. It's a pitfall I always hope to avoid. But February 2025 is unique in seeing locals reunite on Scout Scar after being denied access to the countryside on our doorstep for eight months. We share our feelings on what it means to be back. Sometimes, I encounter birders I've known for some while and whose reporting I trust. Peter tells me he heard skylark in full song in the first week of February, in the location I heard one two days ago. Then, during the phase of an east wind with bitter weather, all fell silent. To resume on 22nd.
Today was blustery and I heard nothing.
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