The woodlark is a relative of the skylark and shares its musicality. The mellow fluting song of the woodlark is one of the joys of spring in the Sandlings and can be heard on heathland, forestry plantations, and farmland in this area.

Although still relatively rare in Britain, its population grew rapidly between the mid 1980's and mid 1990's rising from an estimated 250 pairs in 1986 to more than 1500 pairs in 1997.

In the Sandlings its fortunes were favoured by the storms of 1987 and the increased intensity of management on neglected heathlands which has lead to the clearance of large areas of trees, scrub and bracken and the reintroduction of grazing to many heathland sites. This created bare ground and short turf which are hotspots for invertebrates and a rich feeding and breeding ground for woodlark.

Now, however numbers seemed to have peaked and we may be experiencing a decline in spite of management work. Heathland is its main home but it may be that in the Sandlings forestry clearfell is the woodlark's preferred habitat.

Spotting woodlarks
A good time to see woodlarks is in March, usually on the open heathland areas or in forest clearings.

The male woodlark circles at a constant height over heathland. It can look like a bat with its jerky flight and short tail. It is easier to spot when singing, perched on the top of a tree or bush.

This information is taken from the Sandlings Walk pack. The Sandlings Walk is a 60 mile long distance footpath linking heaths between Ipswich and Southwold. It was created as part of the work supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund to safeguard the Sandlings.