Country & Garden: Nature Notes

WITH THEIR black and white plumage and saucy crests, lapwings (also known as peewits) are among the most glamorous of farmland birds. The latest count, taken 10 years ago, suggested the British breeding population was between 200,000 and 250,000 pairs. Since then, the species has declined, mainly because of intensive agriculture which tends to reduce the amount of food available in the form of worms, grubs and so on.

At this time of year lapwings are on the move, migrating southwards and westwards. Those that bred in the north of England have already headed for the West Country, Ireland or the Continent; but others have come down from Scandinavia and other northern areas. If really hard weather sets in, the whole lot may move on again in search of frost-free areas, where they can feed by probing the ground with their beaks.

Flying in tight formation, they often perform astonishingly abrupt manoeuvres, whole flocks changing direction at the same instant. Their most spectacular behaviour occurs in spring, when they are breeding out in the open. If a human walks toward a nest, the parent birds swoop and dive frenziedly over a different part of the field in their efforts to decoy the intruder away, screaming "Pee-wit-wit-wit! Pee-wit!" and putting in such hard turns that the wind roars through their wing feathers.