The Decline of The Lapwing

During the early spring months, when the mornings start to get slightly warmer and nights begin to get a bit lighter. The frost in the early mornings will start to retreat and some of the brave people have been starting to discard their thick winter coats and venture into wearing lighter garments. At this time of year there is also other air changes happening in a lot of different areas of the United Kingdom. There are certain areas of the UK that become deserted such as the upland moorland in the Northumberland and there has not been much in this area except red grouse. When the spring starts to approach these areas will start to show indications of new life.

Spring is a lovely time of year when the skies are filled with cries from the curlews, meadow pipits start to flutter through the grassy heather whilst the golden plumage of plover is shining in the sunshine. There is one other birds which is common to these habitats. This bird swoops and dives over moorland and fields whilst its quick wingbeats make a loud humming noise as it flies past and it makes pee wit echoes which sound like an iconic flute all-round the countryside, this bird is the lapwing.

The lapwing tend to be known as a few different names which includes the peewit, green plover and its scientific name which is Vanellus vanellus. Regardless of the name that you use for them there is no mistaking that this is an enchanting species however it is sadly lacking in numbers. The lapwing species is struggling somewhat on the shores of the United Kingdom. The struggle for this breed is now at a point where it has been listed on the Red List of Birds that are a Conservation Concern.

The concerning thing is that the decline of the lapwing first started on the shores of the United Kingdom back in the 1800s. It is thought that the decline during this period was due to people collecting lapwing eggs for food and this was later stopped under the Lapwing Act which came into effect in 1926 and this prohibited such practices. Following 1926 the lapwing numbers increased however by 1940s they were in trouble again, this time it was thought to be due to the change in farmland usage, as grassland was being converted into arable land, marginal lands were being drained and intensified usages of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The population of lapwing stabilised in 1960s albeit at a much lower level.

Since the 1960s however things have not improved. Grasses are shorter and pastures have improved therefore the eggs of lapwings have become victim of the increased amount of livestock who trample on the eggs. The increased drainage, tillage and pesticides have reduced the food sources for the lapwing. Rotational farming has disappeared over the years and this has reduced the land which is available for habitat mosaics which lapwings need in order to be able to rear chicks successfully.

The decline of the lapwing has actually been greater in Wales and Southern England, as the intensification of farming has been greater. Overall the lapwing has seen a decline of about eighty per cent since 1960.

The breeding of lapwings is not very successful and they produce less than one chick per pair each year. This is not even one chick a year but this is due to so many different areas getting converted into improved grassland and they need to exceed the mortality of rates of the adult, which is not as easy as it may sound.

Although all of the information makes it look very bleak for the lapwing do not get too depressed. There are actually areas where the lapwing are thriving. Upland areas that have rough grazing is one example of areas where these birds are doing well as they provide the sort of habitat that is required. It is still possible that the declining numbers can be reversed and the breed could thrive again. This reversal could happen if better methods of farming are adopted, as this would allow for mosaic habitats of grassland and springtime crops, whilst having areas that have been unimproved and damp grassland. That is all very easy to say but it is easy to say it but harder to actually do it. There is some programs in the United Kingdom that offer grants to landowners who farm their land in ways which will benefit the lapwing, however there is still a lot about this breed that is unknown.