Tuesday, 7 September 2021

RSPB Blacktoft Sands - White-tailed Lapwing

A White-tailed Lapwing was reported at Stodmarsh and Grove Ferry NNR in the Stour Valley in Kent on 2nd June 2021 …. see here.

What is believed to be the same bird turned up at RSPB Blacktoft Sands in East Yorkshire on 26th August 2021 and remains there as at 23rd September 2021 when I was retrospectively writing my trip report in respect of my visit on 6th September 2021 …. see here.

This is only the 12th record of this exceptionally rare bird in the UK. The last was in 2010, a famous, well-twitched White-tailed Lapwing that toured multiple sites in Lancashire, London, Gloucestershire and Kent during the summer of that year. I saw this individual at RSPB Dungeness in Kent on 17th July 2010 and only managed very poor long-distance record photos.














Photo: record shot of White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Dungeness, Kent

On 6th September 2021, I visited RSPB Blacktoft Sands and had exceptional views of this latest White-tailed Lapwing to visit the UK plus I achieved some rather better photographic results.

When I first arrived in the Xeros Hide, the White-tailed Lapwing was asleep on a small island in the lagoon amongst some Mallard and Teal but it was instantly recognisable.



























Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire

Occasionally, it did the decent thing for the eagerly waiting birders and woke up!




























Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire

After some time a fly through female Sparrowhawk shook things up and most of the birds, including the White-tailed Lapwing, took to the air in panic.

After a few minutes, it all settled down again and the White-tailed Lapwing provided much better views out in the open shallow lagoon.



























Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire




























Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire

It eventually returned to the same island although it was not joined by its previous companions.















Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire















Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire















Photo: White-tailed Lapwing at RSPB Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire

The White-tailed Lapwing or White-tailed Plover is a wader in the lapwing genus Vanellus. It is long-legged and fairly long-billed. Adults are slim erect birds with a brown back and fore-neck, paler face and grey breast. Its long yellow legs, pure white tail and distinctive brown, white and black wings make it unmistakable.

The White-tailed Lapwing breeds semi-colonially on inland marshes, flooded fields and lake and river banks in Iraq, Iran and southern Russia. The Iraqi and Iranian breeders are mainly residents but Russian birds migrate south in winter to the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and north east Africa. It is an extremely rare vagrant in western Europe.

BirdGuides - White-tailed Lapwing


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