Lapwings in a Wet Meadow

Lapwings are also called peewits after their thin, wheezy call. In spring the males tumble and roll above their fields in wild display flights. They need damp grassland like this to feed and nest, which is why draining farmland has hit them hard. A small flock with long wispy crests is feeding among the pools of a wet meadow in a lapwing jigsaw puzzle full of soft light. From a distance their backs look black, but up close they shine a glossy green.