Numbers and distribution of Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus breeding in England and Wales in 1998.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the BTO/RSPB survey of breeding Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus in England and Wales carried out in 1998. Numbers of breeding Lapwings and land-use types were recorded by volunteers in 1,312 randomly selected tetrads using identical methods to those adopted in a previous survey in 1987. The results suggest a population of 62,923 breeding pairs (95% confidence intervals 55,268 to 74,499), representing a 49% decline in 11 years. The declines were greatest in southwest England and Wales, resulting in a marked contraction in range. Both arable and pastoral farmland was found to be important for Lapwings, highlighting their vulnerability to changes in a range of agricultural systems. Recent major changes in land management practices, including the switch from spring to autumn sowing and the conversion of rough to intensively managed, improved grassland is likely to have reduced both the area and the suitability of these habitats for Lapwings. Grassland within arable areas is known to provide important chick rearing habitat, and spring tillage with adjacent grassland was significantly more likely to hold Lapwings than spring tillage that did not abut grass fields. The prevalence of grass and spring tillage fields in close proximity has declined in recent years with the loss of traditional mixed farming and the polarization of pastoral systems in the west of Britain and arable in the east. The implications of these results for the conservation of Lapwings are discussed and it is recommended that, in the light of the scale of the decline recorded, Lapwings should be afforded much higher conservation priority in Britain than they are at present. The range contraction has resulted in high numbers being concentrated on reserves, highlighting the importance of sensitive management of these areas for this species. However, wider countryside measures should also be considered, such as specific options within agri-environment schemes, designed to enhance farmland habitats for Lapwings.