About a week ago I posted about finding a skylark nest on one of the local commons (https://garnerwildlifeart.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/inspired-by-gloucestershire/). I checked back today and what had been a nest with four eggs is now a nest with four healthy-looking skylark chicks. They’re still quite tiny so I suspect they are only a day or two old.
Their camouflage is incredible, the head feathers look just like dried grass. I’m fascinated by the way birds fit in to their environment so that was really inspiring to see.
No sign of the parents anywhere near the nest but plenty of adult birds singing and flying over the rest of the common.
Skylark chicks leave the nest at about ten days old, before they’re able to fly, so I’ll only have a few more chances to see them before they go. I hope I can see them when they first fledge and start to explore their surroundings. That would be awesome!
Another update after my next visit.
[See below for quick update]
UPDATE 02 June 2012: All four chicks still doing well. Parent birds observed bringing in plenty of food for them. Will check back in a couple of days time – hope the young don’t fledge before I can get back there.