The first lapwing to fledge on the reserve!
A few pairs of lapwings have nested in the arable farmland around the reserve for many years, with varying degrees of success. On farmland, lapwings prefer crops that have been sown in the spring, because they don’t like to nest among tall plants. Some young birds have fledged in years when the crops are not too high in spring, but sometimes the habitat has been unsuitable.
When the RSPB changed the management of the reed fen to the east of the mere in 2011, one of the species we hoped to attract was lapwing. One pair nested in the short vegetation in 2011 and managed to hatch their four eggs, but all the chicks were predated.
In 2012 three pairs attempted to nest on the reserve. The first attempts of all three failed at the egg stage, but one made a second attempt, and their eggs hatched in the middle of May. The chicks were difficult to see amidst the growing reeds and rushes, but gradually it became clear that only one had survived, and this despite being caught and then dropped by a barn owl! The progress of this sole survivor has been followed closely as it grew, and on Friday 15th June it made its maiden flight! This is the first successful breeding of this species on the reserve.
Doug