Lapwing and Yellowhammer in south-west Surrey

Lapwing and Yellowhammer are two British species synonymous with farmland. By default this means that, sadly, they're also synonymous with decline. I noted both of these smart birds at Shackleford yesterday – nothing particularly unusual about that – but it led me on a train of thought that resulted in a desire to write a short post on the status of each species locally. Angus, the farmer at Shackleford, is really keen to lure both back as breeding birds. Hopefully he can ...

Yellowhammer, Hambledon farmland, May 2020.

Lapwing

Lapwing is one of my favourite species. It is in steep decline in Britain – more than 50% since 1983 – with farming changes and intensification to blame. As a child, I remember going for walks in random, nondescript parts of the Surrey countryside in the summer and seeing breeding birds. Three-figure flocks of post-breeders would gather at Unstead SF in the early 2000s. If I went the back way to school in the mid-2000s thousands (literally!) would be seen in the fields at Tuesley Farm. It's a very different picture now and, even in the last five years, I'd say I've noticed a year-by-year decline. 

In the winter, only three sites in south-west Surrey regularly hold a proper flock. Shackleford, where numbers fluctuate, and Loseley support between 30-80 birds – but it's very possible these are the same individuals moving between what are two nearby sites. The other locale is a series of fields east of Dunsfold Aerodrome – these are due for development and will be lost in time. Another site is along the Wey between Unstead SF and Peasmarsh, but numbers here are much smaller and depend on water levels.

Dunsfold is also one of a tiny handful of breeding sites but won't be for long, as Dunsfold Park village is created. Indeed, the main field the birds use is to become a road. This year, a pair held fort at Pudmore, Thursley Common, until late May but it wasn't thought they were successful. Another pair attempted to breed along the Wey at Waverley Abbey but the outcome is unknown. So, of these sites, one will be bulldozed soon and another was only a temporary option (Pudmore being closed to the public this spring was crucial to luring in Lapwings; I'll be amazed if any return next spring). 

The future of the species as a breeder in south-west Surrey looks bleak. The winter flocks seem relatively stable – and post-breeding records remain consistent – but even on passage this bird appears to be on the decline. I've seen Lapwing pairs linger at Shackleford into late March and even engage in some display. Farm management plans for the years ahead may well tempt birds to nest, but to be honest I reckon this is unlikely. Indeed, in the decades to come Lapwing could become a rare sight in south-west Surrey, as the tiny breeding outposts evaporate and winter numbers decline.

Lapwings, Shackleford, November 2019.

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer is a different case to Lapwing, not least because of the apparent strength of the population south of the High Weald Ridge. South of an imaginary line between Churt and Smithbrook Kiln this species is encountered with some frequency – the farmland around villages like Chiddingfold, Dunsfold and Hambledon hold relatively healthy numbers.

North of said line, however, there is a clear pattern of decline and population fragmentation. In the last decade alone there is an alarming rollcall of sites that have lost Yellowhammer as a breeding bird: Frensham, Puttenham and Thursley Commons, Tuesley Farm and the North Downs at Loseley all used to support decent sized colonies but are now vacant. The Puttenham decline was particularly stark and is thought to be due to the removal of winter stubble from nearby farmland.

Strangely, there is still one south-western heath that has a small breeding colony: Witley Common, where three males held fort this year. The retention of this population provides hope that they could spread – indeed, Yellowhammer bred at neighbouring Mare Hill in 2015 (habitat improvement there could see them return) and a male was singing at adjacent Thursley Common this May (albeit for one day). Technically, farmland south of Hydestile and at Palmers Cross (south of Thorncombe Street) are above the imaginary High Weald line, but these are really Low Weald sites and part of that population that runs into West Sussex. So, Witley Common is a real anomaly.

All of this means things shouldn't look great for Yellowhammer returning to Shackleford as a breeding bird, but I think there's a chance. Importantly, there remains a stable breeding population just the other side of the North Downs at Wanborough – not far at all as the bunting flies and I suspect this is the location behind wintering birds at Shackleford (of which there are a handful). I can envisage singing and nesting Yellowhammers in the thick hedgerows at Shackleford one day – and what a gain that would be.