Estuary
WILD COAST 72
parts of the estuary soon get
available. The waders have a
manoeuvres, so they become a
zeroing in on any bird which
covered by water, obliging the
defence mechanism though.
twisting ball or ribbon of
doesn’t quite keep up with the
birds to move to other areas. If
When they see a raptor
fast-flickering movement, and
flock’s moves. Peregrine Falcon
the entire estuary fills up, which
approaching, the whole flock
tracking any one individual
is the raptor that you are most
may only happen on the biggest
takes to the air, and performs
becomes incredibly difficult. The
likely to see trying its luck on a
spring tides, the birds find a safe
spectacular synchronous
raptor’s best chance then is
wader flock, but the much
place above the high water mark,
smaller Merlin will also attack
and sleep for the few hours that
small waders like Dunlins.
they cannot feed. Several nature
Above Although it is a
highest because the flocks hold not just the adult birds that have
For resting and feeding
reserves near estuaries have
waders, energy is at a premium,
created artificial lagoons with
especially as they are likely to be
islands, which waders use as
forced into the air by birds of
safe high-tide roosting places.
prey from time to time. It is
To a hungry bird of prey, the
therefore very important that you
great concentrations of waders
take care not to disturb them –
represent an abundant food
don’t approach too closely, and
supply, and it would seem that
keep dogs under close control
even the most inexperienced
when walking near flocks of
raptor couldn’t fail to catch one
waders. There are several
bird from the huge numbers
superb nature reserves where
Washed out
73
Top It is important to avoid
small wader,
finished breeding, but a whole
the Curlew
new generation of youngsters.
Sandpiper’s
In spring, numbers have been
One of Britain’s most important estuary complexes is the
roosting or
reduced, the journey is almost
Wash in east England, and as well as attracting hundreds
feeding, especially
complete, and the birds are also
of thousands of feeding waders, in winter it also serves
in winter.
eager to reach the breeding
as vital habitat for nearly 100,000 Pink-footed Geese. The
grounds and claim a territory, so
geese disperse across Norfolk and neighbouring counties in
tend not to dawdle on the way.
the daytime, but the Wash is effectively their holiday hotel,
Sanderling
Some species that stop off at our
offering not feeding grounds but a safe place for them to roost
interrupts its
shores in good numbers in
through the long winter nights. Whatever the tide is doing they
shoreline feeding
autumn are hardly seen at all
can take shelter in this huge bay of mud and shallow water,
and moves up to
in spring.
safe in the knowledge that no Fox or other land predator is
dry ground to
likely to try to reach them. Well before first light, the flocks are
briefly sleep.
relatively long legs and bill make it well adapted to probe soft estuarine mud.
Waders choose their activities
disturbing waders when they are
Below A
by the tides, rather than the
waking, their ringing, bugling calls betraying their presence
day-night cycle. They are very
across the darkness of the estuary, and as the sunrise begins
happy to feed through the
to touch the edge of the sky they start to lift off, flying inland
A flock of Knots
darkest night hours if feeding is
in long strings and straggly V-formations to begin their day of
takes flight. By
possible. At low tide they spread
foraging in the rich farmland fields of the East Anglian fens.
moving as one, the
Overleaf
out across the expanse of
birds may confuse
exposed muddy shore. The
and disorientate a
incoming tide pushes them in
potential predator.
Estuary and bunches them up. Some