It's National Bird Week in the Netherlands. There's special attention this year for one of our most iconic farmland birds: the lapwing.

2016 has in fact been declared the Year of the Lapwing by the Netherlands Society for the Protection of Birds, the Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology (SOVON), the Dutch umbrella organisation for landscape management LandschappenNL and NIOO's own Centre for Avian Migration and Demography.

Decline

That's because the number of breeding lapwings in the Netherlands has declined dramatically in the past two decades, reaching the point where it's now only half of what it was in 1990. 

As part of the Year of the Lapwing, new research is being carried out into what is thought to be one of the birds' main vulnerabilities: the low survival rate of their young in the first few weeks.

Flags

The Centre for Avian Migration and SOVON have started a project together aimed at spotting and identifying lapwing chicks in the field.

Because visibilty in long grass is an issue, and recapturing birds to read the ring number is to be avoided, young lapwings that are part of the project are given coloured 'code flags'. The numbers on these leg flags are much easier to read, even from a distance.

Organisation

The Centre and SOVON are both coordinating in half the areas included in the project. Three volunteers are taking part under the aegis of the Centre for Avian Migration, and in each of the areas a certified ringer is in charge of attaching the leg flags.

If you would like to report a sighting (date/location), or you're interested in becoming a volunteer and finding out more about the locations included in the project and the codes used for the flags, please contact t.vandevoorde@nioo.knaw.nl.

Excursions

Besides the identification project, farmers and birders are encouraged to organise lapwing spotting excursions during National Bird Week. And the Centre for Avian Migration and other participants in the Year of the lapwing are available for lectures and presentations.