VERY few birds have been more celebrated by the poets than the skylarks.

The most famous of the 'lark' rhymes is that of John Keats (1795-1821). Keats was -- literally -- in tune with nature.

"Hail to thee blithe spirit!

Bird thou never went

That from Heaven or near it

Poorest thy full heart

In profuse streams of

unpremeditated art."

In the time of Keats the skylark was one of our most common birds, but in very recent years it has suffered a dramatic decline.

In some areas of Britain the skylark is almost extinct but thankfully this is not quite the case in East Lancashire, although there has been a decline.

The skylark is around seven inches (18 centimetres) and can be distinguished from the meadow pipit by being larger.

When a breeze is blowing, the crest on the head can be very obvious and there is also a prominent eye stripe. And then there is that wonderful song -- blithe spirit indeed.

But why the decline?

Could it be predators as birds of prey have increased or is it due to a combination of agricultural chemicals plus a loss of habitat as we allow more and more building on green spaces.