Numbers of breeding lapwing are going from strength to strength on RSPB Malltraeth Marsh reserve on Anglesey in north Wales. Breeding numbers of lapwing, also known as the ‘peewit’ due to its distinctive call, have increased to a record high, thanks in part to a grant from the Biodiversity Action Fund of WREN which started in July 2011.
Lapwing below - credit Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)
Fast forward four years, and the breeding lapwing numbers are at an all time high on the reserve, with 24 pairs fledging 49 chicks in 2014, compared to eight pairs rearing no chicks at all in 2009. We’ve done a lot of work over the past four years for this bird and these results demonstrate that we are doing the right habitat management and that its possible to bring back wildlife from the brink.
Funding from WREN - a not for profit business that awards grants to projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) – has allowed RSPB Cymru to successfully create and restore wetlands habitats for lapwing and other wildlife.
Much of the ground work has been done through the purchase of a Softrak all-terrain vehicle (see below image), which carried out essential work on the 273ha of reedbeds, marshland, wet grassland and pools on the reserve that was not possible before.
To read the full press release about this work please visit www.rspb.org.uk/wales