Project Updates: Oldest to latest | Latest to oldest

01/02/2011 11:56: The second phase of habitat works for lapwing

Another wet autumn in 2009 and snow on the ground from November through to late February hampered the second phase of trial management. However by the 2010 breeding season land on 15 farms adding up to 282ha had received Land for Lapwings management.
 

01/02/2011 11:56: Final round of land management

The last phase of trial management has just finished in autumn 2010. These sites have now received two or three years of management and are in a much better condition which farmers will be able to maintain.
 
All data from this project is being analysed by a Senior Conservation Scientist at RSPB HQ and the results will be out in 2011.
 
There are many public footpaths running through the North Pennines. Take a walk during summer and you can witness these fantastic birds for yourself!
 
A big thank you to SITA Trust for funding this work and all the farmers and Estates who have allowed monitoring and land management to take place on their land.
 

01/02/2011 11:55: Implementing trial management for lapwing

The first phase of land management began in August 2008. All land management takes place outside the breeding season (15th March – 15th August). The rainy summer did create a few problems. Understandably farmers were reluctant to allow machinery onto wet land and the need for scrapes on fields that were currently waterlogged was questioned. Despite these set backs work was carried out on eight farms which given the weather conditions was a testament to the determination of the farmers, contractors and the project officer.
 
Come spring time it was great the see lapwings returning to their breeding grounds and establishing territories in managed fields. During summer telltale footprints around scrapes demonstrated the value of these features to several species including lapwing, redshank, snipe and oystercatcher – all birds of conservation concern.

01/02/2011 09:35: SITA Trust funding to help breeding lapwing!

In summer 2008 the RSPB was awarded funding from the SITA Trust Enriching Nature Fund to carry out trial land management on farms in the North Pennines. The aim of this management is to improve and restore lapwing breeding habitat. The management will involve cutting and weedwiping dense stands of rush to create a scattered tussocky sward favoured by lapwing. Wet features will also be enhanced through the creation of small damp muddy patches (known as scrapes) which provide good feeding grounds for lapwing chicks and other wader species. Creating scrapes in wet patches expands the area available for foraging and increases water retention during the summer when the ground starts to dry up.
 
Farms in the North Pennines have been monitored annually since 2007. Trial management will be introduced to approximately half the sites leaving a sufficient number of control sites receiving no management for comparison.
 
The aim of this project is to establish which forms of management are most successful in reversing lapwing decline in upland areas of the North Pennines. This information will be used to determine what constraints may prevent lapwing populations from recovering, and influence the future development of agri-environment schemes including HLS options.
 
For more info about the RSPB please visit www.rspb.org.uk

04/01/2011 16:38: Land for Lapwings gets underway

In summer 2008 the RSPB was awarded funding from the SITA Trust Enriching Nature Fund to carry out trial land management on farms in the North Pennines. The aim of this management is to improve and restore lapwing breeding habitat. The management will involve cutting and weedwiping dense stands of rush to create a scattered tussocky sward favoured by lapwing. Wet features will also be enhanced through the creation of small damp muddy patches (known as scrapes) which provide good feeding grounds for lapwing chicks and other wader species. Creating scrapes in wet patches expands the area available for foraging and increases water retention during the summer when the ground starts to dry up.
 
Farms in the North Pennines have been monitored annually since 2007. Trial management will be introduced to approximately half the sites leaving a sufficient number of control sites receiving no management for comparison.
 
The aim of this project is to establish which forms of management are most successful in reversing lapwing decline in upland areas of the North Pennines. This information will be used to determine what constraints may prevent lapwing populations from recovering, and influence the future development of agri-environment schemes including HLS options.
 
For more info about the RSPB please visit www.rspb.org.uk