LRP Chick by www.grayimages.co.ukIn 2007 over one thousand birdwatchers visited 4450 sites in order to count Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers. The results of their endeavors have just been published. In comparison to the last full survey in 1984 Little Ringed Plovers have risen from approx 620 pairs to 1115 pairs, while Ringed Plovers have dropped from 8617 pairs to 5438 pairs. In addition the fall in Ringed Plovers has not been uniform across the UK - in England they are down 47%, Wales 6%, Scotland 41% and Northern Ireland 66%. Greg Conway, the national organiser, said "Whilst we are delighted that there is good news for Little Ringed Plover, we are really concerned about Ringed Plovers. These birds are an important feature of six of the UK's Special Protection Areas, five in Scotland and one in England, and we need to understand how numbers can be falling so rapidly, despite the protection that they are being given".A summary of the report appears in Jan/Feb BTO News, whilst a full report will appear in Bird Study later in the year.
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