Table 4/Amber (Wintering population)
Biodiversity Steering Group Conservation Concern List

Generally thought to have declined (Gibbons et al. 1993), Golden Plovers in the UK were only poorly monitored (in summer and in winter) before the inception of the BBS. Since then, there has been no clear trend in abundance. Nest survival on grass moors, unlike that on heather moors, may have declined over time (Crick 1992a); perhaps linked to increased sheep stocking densities (Fuller 1996).

The relatively small average clutch sizes in 1996-98 are due to the receipt of a number of late-season records from an intensive study that provide an unusual proportion of 2 and 3-egg clutches (Pearce-Higgins, pers.comm.).