I recently heard the wonderful ‘chirrup’ call of the skylark (Fuiseog as Gaeilge) in a recent bog visit. While some bogland birds have to leave the wet bogland in winter such as the Curlew, the skylark is resident on boglands all year.

It is able to survive the harsh winters, as it is an omnivore meaning in summer it happily feeds on the diversity of invertebrates (an animals without a backbone).

In winter with fewer invertebrates, it changes it diet to the diet of seeds and plant leaves on the bog surface. As there are few trees on bogs, this bird is a ground nesting bird making a shallow depression in the ground, and lining it with plant material to rear its young.

The adult skylark can be recogised by its brown and black streaked plummage with a distinctive white supercilium, that is a white line above the eye.

It also has a characteristic feature by raising its head feathers to form a little crest. The female lays between three to five eggs between March and April each year.

The eggs are greyish with brown spots. The young hatch after the female has incubated them for eleven days.

Both male and female skylark care for the young with their diet mainly consisting of insects. The young fledge after eight to ten days, and by twenty five days the young are independent of their parents. The balck streaking one the feathers of the adults is replaced by spots in the young, and they also do not have the ability to create the little crest of feathers on their head.

Skylark will also feed in surrounding grassland field during the winter, and congregate to form flocks.

The skylark is not the only bird that will remain on the bog in winter. You may also expect to see the meadow pipit. This bird is similar to the skylark, but if you were to flush them as you walk across the bog, themeadow pipit will rise straight up, while the skylark will keep close to the ground.

If you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying contact me at [email protected].