27 May 2024

Chirping fieldwork assistant

Everyone involved in fieldwork knows the beautiful chirps of the Skylark, which can sing non-stop for hours during breeding season. They breed in spring crops and feed their chicks with insects and spiders that they find in their surroundings. However, their population is declining due to habitat loss and they were recently added to the amber/red list of threatened animals. Skylarks are shy animals and usually hard to spot, but the one in the photo just sat down on a fence next to a winter barley field at Teagasc Oak Park, watching me doing its job – collecting insects.

Photo and description by:
Maximilian Schughart, Walsh Scholar, Crops Research Department, Teagasc Oak Park