What’s in a name: Lapwing
Bird spotting in my birthday week
Dear reader, how are you today? how has your week been? Here on the Wirral this Sunday morning, the sun is shining, and I hear the chirrups and whistles of odd birds through my window. The house is peaceful, everyone is sleeping (except for the daughter who is on a sleepover and the last spotted online at 6.05am, she is going to be a delight later on!).
So tell me, dear reader, what have you spotted this week? This was my birthday week and I spent a great deal of it with my wonderful father, walking and talking. At RSPB Burton Mere we were rewarded for our enthusiastic visit by a deceit of lapwing (I’m not sure the lapwing benefit from that term), a group of heron preparing their nesting site and at least seven different types of duck (since you ask: widgeon, teal, shelduck, shovelers, tufted duck, pin tail and mallards. I love spotting ducks!). As we were leaving, a colony of avocets - 120 of them - took off and treated us to a spectacular display in the late afternoon sun, showing off their black and white patternation as they swooped and turned en masse - an amazing example of the artistry of nature.
When I’m with my dad, everything is undertaken in a spirit of enthusiasm and curiosity. Both my parents taught me how to look at things and ask questions, traits which I draw on daily and always when I’m writing my regular letters to you. In that spirit, I decided to do a little digging into this term ‘a deceit of lapwing’. The internet yields many conflicting answers. Groups of lapwing are variously described as a: deceit, desert, congregation, fling, stand. Each collective noun represents lapwings in a different way: a congregation of lapwings are gathered in one place, a fling of lapwings are in flight, a stand (unspurprisingly) stand together. But a deceit and a desert are different. When a predator nears a nesting lapwing, the adult will desert the nest, feigning lameness or a broken wing, and drawing the predator away. Thus, a deceit (or a desert) of lapwing does not relate to a perception of deceitful treachery, but an innate instinct to protect their young. Rather than relying on lazy interpretations of “fanciful medieval taxonomy”1, close observation reveals a truth about the behaviour of lapwing. My father grew up in Lincolnshire, roaming the countryside, observing nature, particularly birds. Lapwings have a special place in his story, as his drawing of two lapwings in flight was chosen as the logo for the newly formed Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. I’m trying to track down an image of the Lapwing Logo, if anyone can help?
I have made many flowers over the past few weeks but with so much going on I have not taken many pictures! I’m currently working on giant cranesbill, cornflower and cow parsley for an installation later in the summer and I’ll be sharing images as these giants emerge, I promise. Yesterday was spent making wildflowers in the Welsh sunshine at Ruthin Craft Centre and will be returning with my paper wildflower workshops on 3rd and 4th May (tickets will be available through eventbrite) - thanks to everyone I talked to, and if you haven’t yet visited the Craft Centre in Ruthin, please do, it is a delightful place. For now, I will leave you with some paper coltsfoot, I have been somewhat obsessed with this flower for many years and have made it both small and large. Other obsessions include goatsbeard, Catsear and dandelion, hmm, is there a pattern here?!
As always, thank you for reading my letters, it’s so good to know I have company.
With love until next time, Ling
PS As a small, and somewhat niche business, I rely heavily on word of mouth to help me reach other interested people who may enjoy workshops, the Flourishing Retreat or even my range of Paper Wildflower Craftkits. Please help me spread the word by sharing my content and telling your friends. As a thank you, UNTIL 30TH MARCH 2025, here is a code giving you 1/3 off my Craftkits: SUBSTACK03 (one use per customer). Usual price £15, with this coupon, only £10. A perfect gift for Mother’s Day!
Bluebell and Wild Rose kits are back in stock!
All images by Ling Warlow 2021-2025
Happy Birthday Ling! I always used to think that avocets looked so exotic in my bird books; how fortunate you are to see them on number. A quick rummage online found the lapwing logo being used on LWT’s Lapwings magazine, not the clearest reproduction and they don’t seem to use it now
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Another beautiful article. Admirable and clever lapwings 🥰