Steve I go passed this area nearly every day and numbers are certaily not as large on a regular basis as they used to be. Up to two years ago golden plover were regularly seen in with the lapwing but this year I have only seen them once in October with a flock of approx forty birds.
I had identified these Bolton roofs as one of the Key Sites for the Wintering Plover Survey and they are being checked once a month on the same dates as the WeBS counts. However, counts of over 100 birds on other dates wil be welcome on the BTO website (thanks for doing so, Jim).
When I used to visit Bolton regularly (up to four years ago) there used to be large numbers of Goldies as well as the Peewits on roofs in the station area. There also used to be good counts from fields near the M61 (Plodder Lane/Watergate Lane junction) but have not heard of anything there recently.
From my observations of lapwing numbers at these two sites numbers are well down on previous years. Golden plover are also often seen in with them but I have only photographed them at these locations once this year in October.
On the way into Bolton this morning there was a flock of 200+ Lapwing above the Boltongate Retail Park area (SD719099). They are often seen on the nearby flat roofs by day.
I suspect this flock feeds by night in the rather wet field at SD705128 as I hear calls early in the morning and sometimes late at night, together with those of Snipe. However, I've never actually seen them flying between the two sites - perhaps they do so under cover of darkness.
i've logged the observation on the BTO's Winter Plover Survey.
