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Tilter
20-Jan-07, 21:48
On Christmas Day morning I counted 100 peewits/shockads(sp?)/lapwings in the field outside my house (Georgemas area). There were more than that but they kept moving about and I got tired of trying to count. It was my best Christmas present, as I have seen fewer and fewer nesting here (down to 1 or 2 pairs) over the past few years. But what were they doing here on 25 December in such numbers? Is this usual? I've never seen it before here. My bird book tells me Northern European lapwings do come to the Uk. Were they migrants? Any info would be much appreciated.

nirofo
21-Jan-07, 04:09
Hi Tilter

It's not unusual to see Lapwings in large numbers at this time of the year in Caithness, often several hundred at a time. Although numbers have been greatly reduced over the past few years, if a flock finds a suitable feeding area where there's a plentiful supply of food then they will congregate and maybe stay for a while. We do get some influx from northern areas but the majority that come here from Scandinavia tend to go further south where the pickings are easier to come by. There was a drastic reduction in the number of breeding Lapwings and other species, such as Redshank, Curlew and Snipe in Caithness and elsewhere in the 1980's when large grants were available for drainage and so-called land reclamation. Large areas of rough pasture and upland meadows were drained for no other reason than to obtain the grants. This coincided with the planting of vast areas of prime moorland and flow bog with lodgepole pine and sitka spruce, the birds were on a hiding to nothing, but then there were massive tax incentives available for those that needed to offload some of their cash. Strange that the RSPB are obtaining grants for trying to put the bogs back to what they were before, I emphasise trying!

nirofo

kas
21-Jan-07, 11:58
There were reports of 1000 Golden PLover and 300 Lapwing last week at Rattar.

I had 380 Lapwings on a recent survey and am heading back out today to do another one. I will let you knoe haw many I see. There were a good few hundred at Dounreay a month or two, but the numbers are now down to under a hundred from what I have seen of late.

Tilter
24-Jan-07, 22:13
Kas and Nirofo,
Many thanks for the info. Obviously I don't get out enough to see much do I, given the large flocks you've seen. Always difficult when work hours coincide with daylight hours in winter.

Yes, the rationale behind "land management" grants here over the years have been quite bizarre. And now we're trying to reinstate bogland! We'll have to see how birds fare here with the latest fashion - wind turbines. Apparently a buzzard flew into the blades of one of the Forss ones today or yesterday.

I understand lapwings, etc., are depleted because land that used to be harvested for hay is now harvested much earlier for sileage, which puts paid to a lot of chicks. Is that right?

nirofo
25-Jan-07, 00:54
Tilter;184837]Kas and Nirofo,[/i]
Many thanks for the info. Obviously I don't get out enough to see much do I, given the large flocks you've seen. Always difficult when work hours coincide with daylight hours in winter.

Yes, the rationale behind "land management" grants here over the years have been quite bizarre. And now we're trying to reinstate bogland! We'll have to see how birds fare here with the latest fashion - wind turbines. Apparently a buzzard flew into the blades of one of the Forss ones today or yesterday.

I understand lapwings, etc., are depleted because land that used to be harvested for hay is now harvested much earlier for sileage, which puts paid to a lot of chicks. Is that right?


Hi Tilter

The serious decline of Lapwings and other waders for that matter in Caithness is due in the main to the loss of suitable wet fields, meadows and upland pasture that are necessary for these birds to feed and breed successfully. Couple this to the rapid changes in agriculture such as you've already stated, earlier hay cutting for sileage followed later by a second crop for hay etc. Planting different types of crops at times of the year that are not conducive to good feeding for the birds, ploughing in the stubbles, disastrous for the geese and swans, and so it goes on.

Sorry to hear about the Buzzard killed by Forss windmills, if they can't avoid 2 what chance when there's 6? The Buzzards at Forss are already in trouble, a pair at Forss wood have miraculously disappeared since they started breeding Pheasants there.

Here's a couple of photo's of one found dead near the Pheasant coupe.

nirofo.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o71/nirofo/DeadBuzzardForss5.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o71/nirofo/DeadBuzzardForss.jpg

Tilter
25-Jan-07, 21:06
Nirofo,
The photos are truly horrid. Coincidentally there was an article on birds and our shrinking wetlands in yesterday's Scotsman at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=122072007, together with a lot of readers' comments. There's some serious raptor haters out there.

A pair of buzzards nests near us too. They will have 30-odd wind turbines to negotiate if plans come to fruition. Several protected species will have to take avoidance measures too. One or two birds taken out is probably not that serious, and is calculated into developers' environmental statements. But I think it's the loss of habitat and nesting sites that's the real killer. The tale they tell us is that combatting climate change is more important than a few birds. It is - but I sort of doubt our whirly things will make any difference to the planet.......

kas
28-Jan-07, 00:51
Horrendous photos there.

Just to let you know I saw no plovers whatsoever on my survey square last week, although it was anything but a nice day.