No walk in the countryside would be complete without the accompanying soundtrack of the skylark’s beautiful song. This thrush-sized bird hovers in the air, like a bird of prey, plunges towards the ground before straightening out into a low-level flight never ceasing its melodic outpourings.
Sadly its musical fame could not protect the skylark from persecution in the nineteenth century when thousands were killed for the table. Due to its practice of nesting in a hollow or open ground the process of rearing the young is rushed through at an unusual pace. Incubation by the female only, lasts just eleven days and the young leave from nine days onwards. This compares with a typical eighteen days for a tree-nesting species like the house sparrow.
One of a number of bird-themed street names in the heavily wooded Woolwell area it is curiously enough probably nearer to the similarly-named Skylark pub at Clearbrook than it is to Plymouth City Centre!
