Writer and broadcaster, Clare Balding, in her role as Patron of the Friends of Richmond Park, is keen for us all to help protect the skylarks which breed in London’s largest Royal Park
As you walk through Richmond Park, there are certain areas that are fenced off or signposted to avoid and keep your dog on a short lead. These are the nesting areas of the skylark. You may not see them very often, but you will hear their beautiful long warbling calls and trills.
But numbers of these small birds are on the decline – it is thought we have lost more than 60% since the 1970s – and TV presenter and writer, Clare Balding, as Patron of the Friends of Richmond Park (FRP), is helping to highlight the importance of protecting their nesting habitat, including making a short film.
The large numbers of visitors to the park – figures have doubled since the first lockdown last year – have meant more people walking across the low grasslands that are their breeding grounds, many with dogs that are not on leads. ‘We are trying so hard in Richmond Park to protect their breeding area,’ she says in the film. ‘The acid grassland is perfect for them. They breed down on the ground.’
The skylark is a small, brown bird, with beautiful brown plumage and a crest. They don’t migrate, preferring to stay close to one area and are difficult to see when on the ground as they blend in with their environment. But their songs are beautiful and it is the only British bird that will sing while ascending, hovering and descending in flight. William Wordsworth even wrote a poem in their honour: To A Skylark.
To have a breeding area in London’s largest Royal Park is really special. The areas where the skylark can nest have diminished significantly over the years. They need large tracts of undisturbed grassland in which to nest and lay their eggs, typically three or four per nest. But as these areas disappear across the UK and across Europe as farmers grow taller crops and the increased use of insecticides and weedkillers remove their food sources, so their numbers have dropped.
The skylark protection zones are in place until 31 July, so do avoid these areas if you can and, as Balding says (a keen dog lover herself), keep your dog on a short lead.
Friends of Richmond Park
The Friends of Richmond Park is a charity founded in 1961 for the ‘conservation and protection… of Richmond Park and its peace and natural beauty for the benefit of the public and future generations.’ In 2017, FRP launched the film Richmond Park – National Nature Reserve featuring Sir David Attenborough, showing the magnificence of the park and its natural inhabitants. As well as red and fallow deer, the park is home to geese, spoonbills, Little Grebes, buzzards and sparrowhawks among many others.
The park covers 2,500 acres, is a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest for wildlife conservation. As well as being London’s largest nature reserve, it’s also the largest urban park in Europe. frp.org.uk
Clare Balding – a love of nature and animals
Clare Balding grew up surrounded by horses at her father’s racing yard, writing about it in her book My Animals and Other Family, and was herself a leading amateur jockey. As well as her TV presenting, she is known for her love of nature and animals and has written books such as Heroic Animals: 100 Amazing Creatures Great and Small and the children’s books such as The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance. Her latest book, Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going has just been released and is a non-fiction book for children on what it means to make mistakes but be unafraid to carry on.
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