Of all the local lark species the most enigmatic and challenging to find is the highly nomadic Sclater’s Lark of the shale strewn scrublands of Bushmanland in the Northern Cape.
Sclater’s Lark Country, harsh, arid, inhospitable!
Subject to the vagaries of the weather pattern within the vast interior these cryptically plumaged larks wander about in loose flocks in response to rainfall patterns and grass seed availability.
Searching the mind-numbing vastness of the arid wastelands for this elusive lark can prove a frustrating affair but nevertheless a most satisfying one when visual contact is finally made.
Sclater’s Lark, Bushmanland, Northern Cape
Interestingly the nest as such is a totally exposed and sparsely lined cup set within a shale or gravel wash containing a single egg or in this photographic instance a well-developed chick.
Sclater’s Lark nest with chick, Brandvlei
For more info on our birding day tours and longer birding tours out of Cape Town and the rest of South Africa, contact Patrick or Marie-Louise on info@avianleisure.com or browse our website www.avianleisure.com
Sclater’s Lark, Bushmanland