Five pairs of skylark have been living in this Sheffield nature reserve

The surveys have been carried out at the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust Woodhouse Washlands Nature Reserve by Data for Nature volunteers.

The assortment of habitat types found at the reserve host a diverse range of species. A bird survey in 2017 found around 60 species use the site, including the Skylark.

Recent management has focused on improving the reserve for breeding pairs of skylark.

This has included fencing off parts of the reserve to reduce disturbance by dogs and cattle for ground nesting birds like skylark to facilitate an increase in the number of breeding pairs using the reserve.

Nabil Abbas, Reserve Manager at Woodhouse Washlands, said: "The data generated by the Data for Nature project has already been very helpful in demonstrating the effectiveness of our nature reserve management.

“At Woodhouse Washlands the grassland compartment that we fenced off to prevent disturbance to ground-nesting birds has provided habitat for at least five pairs of skylark, whilst our survey found hardly any evidence of skylark breeding in the unfenced areas of the reserve."

Since April, Data for Nature volunteers have visited the site four times to map the activity of male skylarks in the reserve, following techniques derived from the BTO’s Common Bird Census.

The aim was to estimate the number of male skylarks holding territory during the breeding season.

This can be used as a proxy to estimate the number of breeding pairs using the reserve.

The five pairs of skylark which are thought to be living there were all concentrated in the small part of the site previously fenced off by the land management team.

Fencing work has been successful in minimising disturbances to ground nesting birds during the breeding season.

In the last survey, juvenile birds and parents carrying food were recorded, indicating that skylarks are successfully breeding on site.

The Trust will continue to survey the number of skylark which are at Woodhouse Washlands in the coming months.