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Avocet, Oystercatcher, Ruff, Sone-curlew & Turnstone
A group of individual, unrelated wader species, grouped for convenience.
Avocet - A beautiful, elegant and unique wader. They feed like no other here, by scything their bill from side to side through the surface water. Returned from the edge of extinction to a healthy, thriving population today. You can see why the RSPB would use it as their emblem. Can be seen year round. They overwinter in southern coastal areas. We are lucky to have a successful breeding population in the Midlands, at Upton Warren. All but the first photo (RSPB Marshside) are taken there.
Chick
Juvenile
Oystercatcher - A common but charismatic wader. Unmistakable with their bright coloured, carrot-like bills and a distinctive piping call. Stunning in flight too, with broad, crisp white wingbars. A flocking species, outside of the breeding season. Year round residents. They are present in large numbers on the Dee Estuary, which is within fairly easy reach for me. Usually coastal but come inland to breed. An example of this is the bird bottom left. Taken at WMBC Belvide. If you look closely she is protecting eggs.
Juvenile
Nest site
Fledgling
High tide roost at RSPB Snettisham, Norfolk.
Ruff - A very unspectacular wader in non-breeding plumage. But the much larger males develop amazing neck ruffs and head tufts in the breeding season. Unfortunately we rarely see this as they are really a passage migrant or overwintering species for us. They breed further north. They have very plump looking bodies and little heads. They're also quite variable, and some have orange legs.
Photo 1 shows a male on return passage in the Autumn. Taken at RSPB Titchwell Marsh. It shows worn, ex-breeding plumage. Bottom left shows a male in non-breeding plumage.
Stone Curlew - A unusual bird, often described as prehistoric looking. Long legged and have large, yellow eyes. Unfortunately I haven't had a close enough encounter to do justice in photograph. Rare. Crow sized. Nest in the open on short, poor grassland. More active at night.
NWT Weeting Heath, Norfolk - May.
Turnstone - A fairly common bird of our rockier shorelines. They are very approachable and quite cheeky. One of the species that first got my interest in birds. You can quite often see them wandering around harbour quay areas, searching for tit-bits and food dropped by people. Non-aggressive though.
Photo 1 - Bridlington harbour in Sept. 2 - Bird in breeding plumage at Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey. 3 - Hilbre Island in Winter.
Yet to capture: Grey Phalarope; Red-necked Phalarope
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