Lapwings, Clettwr

Large numbers of Lapwing (2500 on last RSPB count) as well as teal, dunlin and redshank on the flooded land beyond the far bank of the Clettwr. Buzzards and a quad bike put the birds up, filling the air with birds recognisable by the formations and flight patterns each species make. Lapwings tend to fly the highest, forming long lines that gradually clump together as they climb higher and higher; speedy dunlin knit between them in a tight swarming orb and the teal straight like arrows are the first to whiffle and plummet back to land. Usually the flocks drift to the ground only to pull up at the last second to form in the sky before eventually finding the nerve to settle. Through the binoculars, especially when the light is low the bouncing flight of the lapwing on mass creates a twinkling effect as the individual birds flap flashing their white undersides; in formation this becomes a rippling shimmer as the birds maneuver in unison.