KEY WILDLIFE
Knot
Having spent the summer in Arctic Canada’s eternal daylight, knot frequently form huge, swirling flocks as the rising tide forces the birds off the mud.
Curlew
Head and shoulders above all other winter waders, feeding curlew can often be observed probing for prey and have an evocative ‘cur-lee’ call.
Dunlin
Dunlin ( below) congregate into a cast of thousands at favoured sites. They spread out to forage and a rising tide brings the flock back into compact formation.
Redshank
Content either with its own company, or as part of a small posse, the redshank ( right) flits across estuaries on wings with distinctive white trailing edges.
Oystercatcher
Attracted to our estuaries by a combination of the mild, maritime climate and an abundance of cockles and mussels, oystercatchers ( top of page) hatched in Britain will be mixed in with a diaspora from as far afield as Iceland, Norway and Russia.
Black-tailed godwit
Breeding here in tiny numbers and at just a few locations, virtually the entire Icelandic population of black-tailed godwits will decamp to Britain’s estuaries for much of the winter. The species has a black tail, white rump and flashing wing bar.