Help with bird ID please

[Sammiejayne]

Hi everyone,

Not been on for a while but have another bird ID that I'm having a problem with.
Earlier this evening out walking with my partner, we spotted a bird sitting in the middle of a cricket pitch on the edge of a nature reserve we frequent. I have tried using the RSPB bird identifier but the bird it has identified seems to be completely in the wrong terrain.
It was about the size of a blackbird and was sitting hunched down on the grass. It was black & white but obviously not a magpie as too small & had a much shorter tail. Very distinctive ringed markings around its head. To me it looked like a ringed plover but seems to be wrong as the ringed plover is a coastal bird. Has anyone heard of them moving further inland ?
Many thanks

[RoyW]

Both Ringed Plovers and Little Ringed Plovers do breed inland (typically at gravel pits or similar). A cricket pitch would be an unusual place to see either but it is possible.

Another possibility is Lapwing, which would be a little larger than the other two and appear more black and white (the glossy green colour can't always be seen). In non breeding plumage the breast can appear to be banded like Ringed Plovers (but with a broader band).

[Sammiejayne]

I should clarify that the cricket pitch is adjacent on both sides to wetland. We have never seen the bird before as the pitch is a haven for thrushes, pigeons & blackbirds so made a change to see something different.