Lapwing decline is investigated in five British counties

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has announced it is studying 120 arable sites in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk in conjunction with the RSPB. Findings will be passed on to the government to help guide conservation. The GWCT said the number of lapwings had halved in the last 30 years. Dr Andrew Hoodless, a wader scientist with GWCT, said: "Lapwings are very adaptable birds and because they nest on wet grassland, upland moors or arable land they should be doing quite well, but they are not. "We know that the problem is not over-winter survival, but that the lapwings are simply not fledging sufficient chicks each year to maintain a stable population."

Source: BBC News, 17 October 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19978941