LAPWING

At the moment I’m seeing these fantastic birds between Otley and Leathley, and on the south side of the Chevin, but I used to see so many more. There used to be a flock near the airport on land now built over, and nationally their numbers have fallen dramatically since changes in agricultural practices in the 1970’s. The Lapwing name refers to their unusual wing shape, or maybe their method of protecting their vulnerable nests on the ground. The adult feigns a wing injury to lure, for example, a fox away from the eggs or young, suddenly flying up when at a safe distance. The collective noun is a deceit. Another name for Lapwing is Peewit, which derives from their unusual call, heard during their tumbling display flight.