Lapwing Watch

The Lapwing Watch is a Penistone Community Partnership project (see the link to their website on the 'Websites' page)

In the spring of 2006 some of the members participated in a lapwing watch, part of the Peak Birds Project jointly run by the RSPB and the Peak District National Park Authority. The aim was to check and record the number of displaying lapwings in our area and their subsequent breeding success.

Chris Tomson from the RSPB gave a slide show and talk on the lapwing watch at our October meeting. He explained how farmers are encouraged through grant schemes to farm in an environmentally friendly way, planting certain crops and putting in 'scrapes' to create shallow ponds for birds. The photos showed how difficult it is to spot the nests and chicks. He thanked the volunteers and Wendy Limbert for participating and organising the count for 2006.

There was a survey in 2007, and this was extended to include other moorland birds including curlew and snipe.