Moorlands and the adjacent in-bye farmland provide habitat for a number of rare wading birds, and the breeding populations of these species is one of the highest areas of conservation concern. Birds such as Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwing can be found using the moorland and farmland throughout the National Park, and the Authority commissions regular breeding wading bird surveys to monitor their population.
Surveying the population of these species is one of the best ways to ensure that current conservation methods are effective and helps us identify areas where enhancements for breeding wading birds may be needed. Some annual monitoring of the farmland and moorland breeding birds is to be commenced in 2023 by volunteers and land managers, and a large-scale moorland breeding bird survey is complete on a 5-year basis. The results of the 2019 Moorland Breeding Bird Survey can be found below. Additionally, we aim to undertake farmland breeding bird surveys on a 10-year basis, the 2021 Farmland Wader Bird Survey can also be viewed below.