How to photograph – Lapwings

We used to call them “Peewits” when I was a boy and they seemed to be a constant feature of the countryside of childhood, but sadly this wonderfully exotic looking bird is in terrible decline.

A bit about Lapwings

From a distance these birds can look a bit dowdy and appear simply as black and white, but get up close and the iridescent colouring of their wings and back and their fantastic over the top crest make them a photographers dream.

Lapwings are most commonly seen on low lying farmland, where they often congregate in large flocks, but it is also possible to see them right across the UK at wetland sites and other areas with short vegetation.  They also seem to have an affinity with ploughed fields, hunkering down in the furrows and searching for invertebrates to feed on.

It is almost impossible to confuse a flock of Lapwings with anything else; their distinctive ‘lap wing’ flight and their distinctive rounded wings make them stand out from the crowd.

They strike me as the most quarrelsome of birds.  If you spend any time watching a flock you will notice that they are almost always in a state of commotion, with individual arguments quickly spreading through the entire gathering.  I often think that if they were humans, Lapwings would be permanently subject to anti-social behaviour orders.

What you need to get the image you want

Lapwings are spooked incredibly easy and it is not a simple task to locate a flock and make a stealthy approach.  I find them to be one of the most alert and easily disturbed subjects to work with; many is the time that I have inched my way closer to a flock only for every single bird to take flight making the “Peewit” call and disappear into the next field.

So make life easy for yourself and find a location where Lapwings come to you!  RSPB reserves and WWT centre are perfect for both group and individual bird images.  Do be aware though that Lapwings are incredibly mobile and just because they are on site one week doesn’t mean they will be there the following week.  Only during the breeding season can you guarantee that they will hang around the one location.

I personally prefer close up images of Lapwings as that gives the opportunity to show off their colouring and flamboyant crest.  To get close up though, you will almost certainly have to be in a hide or very well camouflaged; I have never seen a Lapwing approach a human in the way most Gulls will for a piece of bread, they are just not programmed that way.

Take your chance when you can.  Lapwings rarely stay still for long, you may be lucky and find one foraging along the edge of a lake or in some short grass, but usually they are bouncing around like a toddler that has had too many blue Smarties.  That does mean, however, that your opportunities for in-flight shots are greater, although it is well near impossible to predict a Lapwing’s flight path as they move through the air in a manner reminiscent of a drunk weaving his way home from the pub.

 

The technical bit:

Lapwings don’t present too much of a technical challenge.  Admittedly their contrasting light and dark areas can be a little tricky, but as long as you photograph them in good light it is relatively straightforward to get a nice exposure.

The ‘dark’ wings of a Lapwing are, when you see them close up and in good light, actually a wonderful range of greens mixed with the odd touch of orange and gold.  To be sure that you capture this in your images you must have good light and make sure you expose properly.  Don’t worry too much about the white breast of the bird, concentrate on getting the wings right.  My tip is for you to underexpose slightly and then pull the detail back in your processing on your computer; underexposed images can generally be fixed in something like Photoshop – overexposed images can’t.

You are unlikely to get very close to a Lapwing, so a lens over 200mm will probably be required, but even longer would be better if you have it.  If you do get close for a wide angle – let me know how you did it!

As I said earlier, Lapwings suffer from hyperactivity and are usually on the move, so your shutter speed will have to be relatively fast – minimum of 1/250s.  As usual with wildlife photography, getting the eye and head in focus is all important, but you also want to make sure that the crest and the wings are sharp too (they’re the prettiest part of the bird) so aim for an aperture of f/10 or higher for the depth of field to give you that result.

 

Conclusion

Lapwings are boisterous characters and I have often cursed them for disturbing other birds I am trying to photograph, but when you turn your attention towards them you are rewarded with a gem of a subject.

Getting close is quite hard so make life easy for yourself and use well established hides and locations where you at least stand a chance of seeing more than a flock heading away from you.

Be ready for action.  With Lapwings you can guarantee that there will be a commotion every couple of minutes.

As always, if you have any questions do drop me an email.