The annual hunt for the first lapwing egg has ended with a local volunteer finding a nest containing two eggs in Bruchem in Gelderland on Tuesday, meadow bird protection organisation LandschappenNL has announced.

The first lapwing egg traditionally marks the start of the breeding season, which, the organisation said, has started earlier than ever this year.

Since 2015 it has been illegal to remove the eggs from their nests because of fears about the size of the lapwing population. A Frisian tradition, the first eggs used to be ceremonially presented to the mayors of towns and villages where they are found.

Some 4,000 volunteers will now start the search for other meadow bird nests to mark their locations so farmers can move them or mow around them.

The work of volunteers and farmers is helping to improve biodiversity, the organisation said. Some 36,439 godwit, lapwing, redshank and curlew nests were protected this year, contributing to the successful breeding of  11% to 17 % of the national population of meadow birds.

The results of this year’s inventory, which will last until the middle of June, can be found here.