Hello all,
This is my first topic on this forum, so i hope i don't reveal too much ignorance.
I used to be a 'shooting man' in my younger days in Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire, I used to see hundreds of Woodpigeons (my Targets and sometime supper) but also hundreds of 'peewits' which i used to admire as a lovely and common 'bird of the farmland' always 'on the land' or giving flying displays of brilliant aerobatics. I gave up shooting as i prefered to see the Birds (and Rabbits) wild in the air than 'Dead on the Plate'. So I never noticed the steady decline of the Lapwing, until much later as I started 'Bird watching' as a hobby, by then they were all but 'gone'. I now live in Fishguard Pembrokeshire, and once again I am seeing flocks of Lapwings 'On the land' , they seem to be mainly nearer to the St.Davids peninsular but the bad weather has bought them right into the local 'Loctudi' park in Fishguard, I suspect that they originate from the RSPB reserve on Ramsay Island, where they and many 'Chough Families' make their home. The Farming Practise of cutting early silage all around the Country gave them little chance to rear their young close to their food source. Just goes to show how the slight change of a farming method can have a devastating effect on even a 'A very common Bird' .Long may their recovery continue. Has anyone in other parts of the Country seen signs of any recovery ?? Regards Ray
Glad to hear you are seeing flocks of lapwing again! They are fantastic birds to see!
I can't say what they seem to be doing around here yet, I haven't lived in this area long enough to make any judgement but I'm hoping they are doing well!
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
Hi Ray
First time for me too. Only joined blog today. Lapwings were one of the birds that made me take up birdwatching. I had only seen them at Titchwell and along the North Norfolk coast until last Christmas when I saw a few dozen of them in a field less than half a mile from my house and 20 miles from the coast. I have since found out they are frequent inland particularly in the winter.
I admit I havent seen them yet this winter but then I think the farmer changed the crop in that particular field!
Keep Norfolk for birds
Welcome to the forum Ray and PInkfoot. Hope you both enjoy it here.
I saw literally hundreds of lapwing in November at Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary, (Lancashire), giving a wonderful aerial display. Beautiful birds.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Hi,
lapwings will undertake 'hard weather movements' to find food , this is normally westward in winter as the snow tends to arrive from the North and East. It's possible lapwings from central England are moving into Wales or even over to Ireland at the moment .
:))
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
I think they're more plentiful round here as well.
When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!
Haven't seen as many locally as previous winters, but they can do a very good shop of hiding, even in a large empty field, have had a chance to go up to the coast recently to see what numbers are about there, agree with the previous comments regarding cold weather movements, remember our breeding population is increased massively by winter visitors from places such as Scandinavia.
A couple of years back the field behind us was left uncropped and we were lucky enough to have a pair of Lapwings nesting, we set up the telescope in our son's bedroom and had our very own springwatch. we were only able to locate them when the adults changed nest duties by landing sveral metres away from the nest site then casually changing over, it go to the point when I could find the nest by locating a certain weed in the field, they succesfully fledged 2 young.
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag" Mary Poppins
We are lucky to have a good amount of peewits in Shropshire (but also hundreds of thousands of woodies...)
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
Hi Ray As MarJus has said there are lots in Shropshire. I was delighted a week ago to pass three fields just south of Shrewsbury and see a large flock of lapwings in each. There was less snow then than there is today so they may well have moved on. I gave thanks to the local farmer who had obviously done something right to encourage them. I too remember peewits from my childhood in Cheshire.