THE STATUS OF GOLDEN PLOVER PLUVIALIS APRICARIA IN THE SOUTH PENNINES

The current breeding status of the Golden Plover in the south Pennines of England is described using data drawn from a survey conducted in 1990. An estimated 736 pairs bred in the Pennines to the south of Skipton in Yorkshire at an overall density of 1.02 pairs/km(2) and, in 'occupied squares', of 2.22 pairs/km(2). Comparisons with published quantitative data indicate that there has been little change within the study area in the distribution of Golden Plover since the late 1960s. Relative abundance in various parts of the Peak District National Park appears not to have changed during the same period. Comparisons of absolute abundance suggest significant increases in the extreme south-east of the study area, and perhaps in the Forest of Trawden.