Monday 5 May 2014

Oystercatchers - it's not all they do

Some mornings I'm a little nervous about opening the curtains, because you just never know what you'll discover out there.

Today's treat was an Oystercatcher, intent upon ridding the garden of worms.


I am wondering if this is a lady Oyc (they're not easy to tell apart), as she appears to have a set of muddy footprints on her back. Perhaps from a gentleman wader bird.


How ever might that have occurred, I wonder?!

Older readers may recall an episode of the 1970s sitcom Sykes, where Eric's sister Harriet returns from answering the door. If I remember correctly, she was wearing a white dress and the caller had been the coalman and Harriet now had a pair of black hand prints on her behind. Conversely, she may have been wearing a black dress and it was the baker! Ah, such innocent days.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! An Oystercatcher in your garden!! I would love to open my curtains and see such a sight. They are such beautiful birds. Lucky you.

Imperfect and Tense said...

I can't recall being able to photograph an Oyc so close before, without fear of causing it alarm. In this instance, I was stood at the back of the room, furthest from the window, focussing through the double glazing. Oystercatchers are strikingly coloured, aren't they? But they can be noisy. At 4 in the morning. Just sayin'...

biobabbler said...

I LOVE the way they yell, sounding like a boisterous group of 5-year-olds. 'Course I've only heard them on the coast, NOT 'neath my window at 4 a.m., so...

One of my favorite birds EVER. SO stylish and different than other spp. Perhaps the spp. I think is most alike them in style & gestalt is the skimmer... Congrats! =)

Imperfect and Tense said...

Skimmer, bb? I'm guessing that's not a dragonfly!

biobabbler said...

Oh, dude, skimmers are AMAZING! http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black_skimmer/id And, when they hang out en masse on the shore, the ALL POINT the SAME DIRECTION. Makes for amazing images. And Darwin theorized (correctly) that they hunt mostly at night, over the sea. HOW BAD ASS IS THAT?!? =)

Imperfect and Tense said...

Strewth, look at the schnozzles on those beauties. Hunting at night? I bet they could open sardine tins in their sleep.