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Lapwings are declining at an alarming rate on Britain’s farmland, warns
the British Trust for Ornithology. Over the past 15 years the number of
lapwings has fallen by almost 70 per cent. Even more worrying, the breeding
population declined by 32 per cent between 1992 and 1993, despite a mild
winter that should have ensured good survival that year.

The BTO blames the decline on the trend away from mixed farms towards
single crops, and an increase in autumn sowing, which produces a dense
vegetation by the spring breeding season.

‘Lapwings like very specific types of farmland,’ says John Marchant
of the BTO. ‘They like a clear view of any predators approaching the nest.
Tall crops don’t suit them.’

They also prefer a mixture of habitats, including open grassland where
they can feed on insects. ‘Specialisation in farming hasn’t helped them,’
says Marchant