Wading Birds

Heron (Grey)

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:06:30 +0000

The Grey Heron is a member of the Heron family and is the tallest bird in England. It can be seen throughout England near lakes, slow-flowing rivers and estuaries. It can also be seen in damp fields near to water. It can easily be recognised by its long legs and neck which it often holds in a ‘S’ position when hunting for food. This heron can often be seen standing very still in water waiting to catch fish.

The Grey Heron is predominantly a grey bird with a white head, chest and belly. It has a crest of long, black wispy feathers and black feathers running down its long white throat. It has a long, pointed, yellow beak which can change to a deep orange colour.

The Grey Heron is a wading bird that makes long deliberate strides when wading in water. Sometimes it will stand up to its breast in water when looking for food. The Grey Heron mainly eats fish and sometimes it steals goldfish from garden ponds. When a Grey Heron flies, it curves it wings into a ‘M’ shape and trails its long legs behind its body.

Oystercatcher

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:05:57 +0000

The Oystercatcher is a large black and white wading bird with a long, thin, orange-red beak which is quite pointed. It can be found all around the coasts of England on rocky beaches, shingle beaches, on muddy and sandy shores, on the banks of rivers, on the shores of large lakes and sometimes on gravel pits and heathlands. It is sometimes known as the Common Pied.

The Oystercatcher’s top part of the body, head and neck are a black colour and its chest and belly are white. Its wings are mainly black with white feathers on the outer edges. It has two distinct orange-red eyes and two long, pinky coloured legs and feet. The Oystercatcher is the only wading bird that can open a mussel or cockle with its beak. It also eats crabs and lugworms.

Oystercatcher pairs often take part in a ‘piping' ritual when they want to defend their feeding grounds. The ritual consists of both Oystercatchers bowing their heads up and down with their beaks facing the ground while making long, high-pitched piping sounds. The shrill piping sounds are often directed to their neighbours. Sometimes they chase their neighbours or intruders away, but border disputes very rarely end up in fighting.

Plover (Ringed)

Debbie — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:59:42 +0000

The Ringed Plover is a small, plump-looking wading bird that has a short orange beak with a black tip. It can be see all around the coasts of England on sandy beaches, shingle beaches and sometimes in flooded gravel pits. It has its name the ‘Ringed Plover’ because it has a distinct white ring of feathers around its neck.

The Ringed Plover has a black stripe on the top of its forehead and a white neck stripe underneath it. It also has a black stripe that runs through each eye from the base of the beak to the back of the neck. The top part of its chest has a black band running across it and its tummy is white. Its back is a greyish brown colour and its legs and feet are orange.

Ringed Plovers are often seen singly, although they sometimes form small flocks. They fly very quickly and quite low to the ground and sometimes they seem to fly like butterflies because they flutter up and down in the air. On the ground Ringed Plovers tend to run very quickly for a short distance and then stop quite abruptly when they see food such as insects, worms and crustaceans. They also eat small fish, shrimps and marine snails.