I think lapwings have to be one of those common birds that when seen by someone not overly interested in birds, especially if it was a superbly-coloured male like this one, they think something along the lines of "what on earth is that? It must be some exotic escapee".
A lot of people think rather disparagingly of the UK avifauna, with all its LBJs, but I think you've got some great birds over there. One of the ones I'd most like to see (and this will sound odd to you UK lot!) is the common old wren - I reckon they are fantastic wee birdies
