The Amazing Journey

Syrian conservationists and RSPB staff conducting surveys in Syria this week, were surprised to discover Sociable Lapwings present in the country and apparently already on the return leg from their wintering grounds.

In addition to providing important new sightings records, Birders’ contributions to The Amazing Journey website are also providing extremely valuable information about Sociable Lapwing behaviour and habitat association. These are an important aid to conservation planning.

After an absence of transmissions from our satellite tagged birds for several weeks, a new transmission just received from Dinara is very welcome news and marks another important milestone in our growing understanding of the complexity of Sociable Lapwing migration.

Two transmissions recorded on November 13th confirm Dinara has now arrived in central Pakistan, in the Indus floodplain not far from Shujaabad.

One important aspect of our conservation activities for Sociable Lapwings is building an understanding of their global distribution and migratory flyways. If you’ve seen a Sociable Lapwing in the past three years and would like to add your sighting to our records please let us know by submitting a report.

Johannes Kamp works for the RSPB in their International Research Team.

Watch this extraordinary video of Dr. Rob Sheldon and Maxim Koshkin fitting one of the new satellite tracking devices to Alia in June 2010.

Maxim Koshkin – Conservation Project Leader for ACBK in Kazhakstan – kicks off the Amazing Journey with a report on the catching and satellite-tagging of eight Sociable Lapwings on their breeding grounds in late May, 2010.

Dr Rob Sheldon is RSPB Sociable Lapwing Project Leader and RSPB Head of Species Recovery.

Dr Paul Donald is the Principal Conservation Scientist in RSPB’s International Research Team.

RSPB is The BirdLife Partner in the UK and leads and coordinates Sociable Lapwing conservation internationally. The RSPB became a BirdLife Species Champion to help generate funds and raise awareness of the plight of the Sociable Lapwing in August 2008.