Lapwing Makes Stunning Comeback at Mayo Nature Reserve as 143 Chicks Hatch in Record Breeding Season
The endangered lapwing has recorded its most successful breeding season in living memory at Annagh Marsh Nature Reserve on the Mullet Peninsula in County Mayo, with 67 breeding pairs successfully raising at least 143 chicks this summer — a result that BirdWatch Ireland has described as a landmark moment for one of Ireland's most imperilled native birds.
Background
The lapwing, known in Irish as pilibín and sometimes called the peewit for its distinctive call, was once a familiar sight across Irish farmland and wetlands. Declared the national bird by the Irish Wildbird Conservancy in 1990, the species has since suffered a catastrophic decline, with the national breeding population falling by approximately 90 per cent since the 1990s. Today, fewer than 600 pairs are estimated to breed across the entire island of Ireland, making every successful clutch a matter of genuine conservation significance.
Annagh Marsh, a low-lying coastal wetland on the western edge of the Mullet Peninsula, has been a critical refuge for the species. Yet even here, the picture was bleak for much of the late twentieth century. In 1985, eight breeding pairs were recorded at the site. By 1996, that number had collapsed to just two. The causes were familiar: agricultural intensification, drainage of wet grassland, and predation pressure from foxes, otters, and the invasive American mink, which had spread through the river systems of Connacht.
BirdWatch Ireland began habitat restoration work at Annagh Marsh in 2001, gradually improving the quality of the wet grassland and shallow scrapes that lapwings require for nesting. The installation of a high-specification predator exclusion fence in 2011 proved transformative, and a further upgrade in 2024 — incorporating small-gauge mesh and a high-voltage electric pulse system at the top of the barrier to deter climbing predators — has delivered results that conservationists are calling extraordinary.
Key Developments
This summer's breeding season produced 143 chicks from 67 pairs, a figure that represents a dramatic improvement on any previous year at the site. Dave Suddaby, BirdWatch Ireland's reserves manager, said the results were a direct vindication of the long-term approach taken at Annagh Marsh. "What we are seeing here is the payoff from twenty-five years of patient, sustained work," he said. "The fence upgrade last year made a real difference. We were losing birds to otters and mink that were getting through the old barrier, and that problem has now been addressed."
The 67 breeding pairs at Annagh Marsh represent approximately 11 per cent of Ireland's entire national breeding population — a remarkable concentration for a single site. The chicks raised this summer will, if they survive to adulthood, contribute meaningfully to the national population over the coming years. Lapwings typically begin breeding at one year of age, meaning the class of 2026 could be nesting themselves by next spring.
The 2024 fence upgrade cost a significant sum but has already demonstrated its value. The new barrier features a small-gauge mesh that prevents mink from squeezing through, combined with an electric pulse system at the top that deters foxes from attempting to climb or jump over. Suddaby noted that the combination of measures had effectively eliminated predation within the fenced area during the 2026 season.
Why It Matters
The lapwing's decline in Ireland mirrors a broader collapse of farmland birds across western Europe, driven by the intensification of agriculture, the loss of wet grassland, and the drainage of the shallow, muddy habitats that wading birds depend upon for feeding. Ireland's situation is particularly acute: the country has lost a higher proportion of its lapwing population than almost any other European state, and the species is now classified as a bird of conservation concern on the Irish Red List.
What makes the Annagh Marsh results significant is not merely the numbers but the proof of concept they represent. Unlike many conservation interventions that produce modest or ambiguous results, the combination of habitat management and predator exclusion at this site has delivered a clear, measurable outcome. For a species that has been in freefall for three decades, that clarity matters enormously. The challenge now is to replicate the model at other sites across the country, particularly in the midlands and the west, where lapwing populations have been most severely depleted. BirdWatch Ireland has identified several candidate sites where similar interventions could be effective, but funding remains the primary constraint.
The lapwing's status as Ireland's unofficial national bird — a designation that has never been formally recognised by the government — adds a particular resonance to this summer's success. There have been periodic calls for the government to give the designation official standing, and the 2026 breeding results may reinvigorate that campaign.
Local Impact
For the communities of the Mullet Peninsula, the lapwing's recovery is a source of quiet pride. The Annagh Marsh reserve sits within a landscape that has been shaped by generations of small-scale farming and fishing, and the return of the peewit to the fields around Belmullet and Blacksod Bay is welcomed by local farmers who remember the bird as a fixture of the spring landscape. BirdWatch Ireland works closely with landowners in the area, and the reserve's success has helped build goodwill for conservation work more broadly in a region where relations between farming and environmental interests have sometimes been fraught. The reserve also attracts birdwatchers from across Ireland and beyond, providing a modest but meaningful boost to local tourism in an area that has few other visitor attractions.
What's Next
BirdWatch Ireland will monitor the survival of this summer's chicks through the autumn and winter, tracking how many make it through to the following breeding season. The organisation is also in discussions with the National Parks and Wildlife Service about extending predator management to other lapwing sites in County Mayo and County Roscommon. A funding application to the National Biodiversity Action Plan is expected to be submitted before the end of 2026, with a decision anticipated in early 2027. If successful, it could enable the replication of the Annagh Marsh model at up to three additional sites within the next two years.
