In the space of a couple of days I have glimpsed two sightings of my first Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). At first I didn’t know what the bird was as it swooped over fields, but what caught my eye were the peculiar shaped wings, similar to tennis rackets with their rounded edges. I noted a flash of white on the underbelly and vowed to look the bird up in my Spotter’s Guide.

That evening I watched Springwatch at Easter and discovered that Simon King had filmed the very same bird swooping over Islay during its courtship performance. I had always considered the Lapwing to be a water bird, but after some further reading I found out that they breed on arable fields, pastures, meadows and salt marshes.

I was pleased to tick off another bird in my Spotter’s Guide! It’s always refreshing to see something new; nature will always surprise me in one form or another.