2001 saw the start of WMBC involvement with the SBAP bird species work and also with similar work being conducted in the Peak District (part of which is in Staffordshire). WMBC is currently gathering location information for breeding Lapwing to build up an inventory for the species across the county, similar in form to that submitted by the RSPB for the Peak District BAP.
This presents mapping of fields used by breeding Lapwing (and other wader species) as covered by surveys in both 2001 and 2002. Currently the WMBC work is focused on building up a list of breeding sites in preparation for a full survey, and we now have county mapping and a data set available for the species in 2000-2002, so building on previous survey work described by Frank Gribble and Ray Jennett for 1998.
Our map presents the data collected so far (2000-2002) for the SBAP work - whilst it does represent Lapwing distribution within the county it is far from complete and in many areas currently may show the lack of observers rather than the lack of breeding Lapwing. For a more complete picture the map should also be viewed in conjunction with data from the 1998 Report by Gribble and Jennett since the 1998 data is not included in the map and would augment the more recent data in many areas.
Do note that our map displays consecutive years' results and therefore some adjacent dots may well refer to the "same" breeding birds. Some dots are in close proximity and therefore superimpose on the map. The dots show only those birds reported to WMBC together with enough details to be able to map their location to 6-figure grid reference.
We would welcome more information to complete this map in 2003 and beyond. If you are able to supply information for breeding Lapwing in 2003 please forward to Andy Lawrence at bulletin@westmidlandbirdclub.com, noting a 6-figure grid reference, the date, and the type of habitat being utilised. We particularly welcome information collected between mid-April and the end of May 2003, after which young birds are free-flying, but any information on flock location etc is valuable at any time of the year as this is also included in our data set.
Last updated 17 April 2003.