This year HDC and FCF have come up with a plan to help protect the ground nesting sites favoured by skylarks, especially in Wheat Rick field alongside the bridleway to/from Arun Way. To this end, and with the help of farm users, we are encouraging the use of the east-west path, parallel with the lower hedge line across Wheat Rick field (from the bridleway across to New Town Nine Acres) and discouraging the use of any other paths across Wheat Rick.
Even as an FCF working party put up signs and extra fencing, we heard a skylark singing far above us, no doubt scouting for nest sites: beautiful to hear, we are lucky to have these nationally-declining birds on “our patch” and they need our protection.
The east-west preferred path is shown as a dotted red line on the field map below, next to a photo of our skylark working party consisting of Trevor, Jim, Tim, Diane, Laura and Julian (plus Mike and Tony not in picture). Photo: Mike Ayling
Friends of Chesworth Farm 
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