Skylark numbers?

[Ruston3w]

Plenty here to, also hares, good to know there is some benefit from growing beet....the lapwings like beet too, at least they don't eat them.

 

[upnortheast]

Seems more than ever . Spreading fert on WB the other day they were popping out of the crop all over.

 

[PSQ]

Strange there's nothing on the news or from the RSPB on this

In fairness to them they started their 'wild bird count' here at 5.30 this morning, as part of a larger survey. Last time they did it two years ago it came back with some surprising results, as in species that I'd never realised were on the farm

 

[primmiemoo]

Think I heard a grasshopper warbler last night.
Willow warblers aplenty, and think there are willow tits, too. Maybe a little early to hear them, or else there's a nordinary tit out there's that's a heavy smoker.

Too many rabbits about for there to be hares around this year, but you never know.

 

[Danllan]

At a meeting the other night we agreed that post Brexit "intensive" / "indoor" farming practices would be relabelled "precision farming". I'm pleased to hear that you and your skylarks are already ahead of the curve

Fair enough on the 'intensive' changing to 'precision', it is at the least plausible and pretty accurate generally. But for 'indoor' use 'precision' is a bit of a stretcher; if you stray or stretch too far you will lose credibility all round.

 

[JP1]

Fair enough on the 'intensive' changing to 'precision', it is at the least plausible and pretty accurate generally. But for 'indoor' use 'precision' is a bit of a stretcher; if you stray or stretch too far you will lose credibility all round.

Indoor doesn't mean bad though. Indoor allows you to be precise in all of your animal farming techniques

 

[Danllan]

Indoor doesn't mean bad though. Indoor allows you to be precise in all of your animal farming techniques

I'd argue that indoor is bad because of its huge detachment from the natural, like substituting grass and leaves for grain and concentrate.

But that is not the reason for my questioning the use of the term 'precision' in this context; it is simply that by employing it as a mere euphemism, you devalue its use.

 

[Bill the Bass]

Just noticed this thread. Had skylarks this year on one block of land where aI have never heard them before, father doesn’t believe they are skylarks but I am convinced.

 

[JP1]

I'd argue that indoor is bad because of its huge detachment from the natural, like substituting grass and leaves for grain and concentrate.

But that is not the reason for my questioning the use of the term 'precision' in this context; it is simply that by employing it as a mere euphemism, you devalue its use.

Not sure I agree completely - which species ?

On another thread I said barn layers were emulating jungle fowl origins most closely

 

[Fallowfield]

There's a lot of interesting information and data here about skylark numbers and population trends.

https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?s=skyla&year=2017

 

[Danllan]

Not sure I agree completely - which species ?

On another thread I said barn layers were emulating jungle fowl origins most closely

Clearly species is a relevant matter; anyone farming worms or insects intensively and wholly inside would be on fairly safe ground. But step up the ladder of sentience and the end-use of the protein produced and you both stray further away from the natural way of things and quality of meat. Start with fowels and end with cattle, the result is the same: the further detached from a natural diet and environment, the lesser the welfare and product quality. Use of the term 'precision' implies, and is probably intended to imply, 'better', and that would not be the case.