Wader birds

Waders describe a waterbird with long legs that wades along shorelines and mud flats (in estuaries or lakes) in search of food, often with relatively long bills. 

Where I live in the Findhorn Bay (Scotland UK), it's a perfect place to identify waders, especially during winter months. I will just concentrate in the more common wader species in the UK.

Lapwings are one of the iconic wader birds in the UK

The most common waders in our region are the ubiquituous Oystercatchers (usually by the shore). Amongst the gulls, you will find a black-white bird, with red bills, legs and eyes. That's the oystercatcher! They eat mussels and have a characteristic piping call. 

In the mudflats estuaries, large flocks of Dunlin, with their dazzling and agile flight patterns, is a fantastic show to spot. Also very common and of similar size but more dumpy appearance is the Knot, which also forms large flocks. 

In between dunlins, one can spot a few larger wading birds in between them. One of the commonest and largest is the Curlew (distinguishable by having a very long bill curved downwards and a characteristic melancholic "cur-loo" call). They have a brown streaked plumage. They breed in spring inland in damp pastures, meadows and moors. The UK holds a quarter of the global population, and its numbers are declining.

Godwits are another large wader, also with a very long (but straight) bill and long legs. There are two species, bar-tailed and black-tailed, the second one is the most common. The orange-brown plumage in summer is a beautiful sight and is a key distinguishing feature. It has black-white wing-bars easy to see in flight.

Redshanks are another large wader, slightly less than the curlew, with striking red long legs and bills red/black. They are also noisy, make calls often "tu tu tu". They breed in coastal saltmarshes and inland wetlands and meadows. A large part of the UK population is present in Scotland.

In estuaries, one can also hear a characteristic strange-sound bird, which is the Common snipe. The bird is a brown bird, smaller than the bird, and they make their highly characteristic sound as they flap their wings during flight. I find it more difficult to observe snipes in the UK, as when I lived in Iceland I use to see snipes every single day of late spring and summer, just in front of my house there.

At the shoreline (and also in tidal mud flats), one will also see groups of very small whitish birds running back and forth along the wave edges, that's the Sanderling, which only visit us in winter time. They breed only in the Arctic (during summer).

Also along the shoreline, in pebbled beaches, another group of small sized waders is the Ringed plover. Their beautiful plumage is easy to identify. It has a black/white head, with a white ring around the neck, and brown back and cap. And a small black bill. Every time I walk by the beach, they fly away from me a little bit further away, as a small flock. In some parts of the UK shores, they can be present year-round and breed usually by the beach in open ground.

Lapwings have a very characteristic "pee-wit" loud shrill call. This is a easy way to spot them near a grassland or a water body. They breed usually in cultivated land or in places with short grassland. In winter they come to the lowland estuaries and arable land, forming flocks. Their metallic-green plumage and crest is a striking feature. In flight, they have stiff wingbeats. Like most waders, their numbers have greatly declined to changes in land use and farming, and increased numbers of predators. 

Going further inland, one can spot the Golden Plover breeding in moderately high hills in Scotland. They have a characteristic melancholic "puu" call, and you can approach them quietly, as they will stand relatively still. Their plumage is very beautiful, mostly of a golden-brown streaked back, a very dark belly and part of the head, and a white band in between, between the forehead and towards the tail. They fly away fast and powerful and can form small flocks. It was another iconic bird I used to spot every summer in Iceland. They winter further south, in England and other parts of Europe.

Dotterel. Oh, this is another beautiful one, but slightly more elusive. From the family of plovers, dotterels can be observed at the top of the highest Scottish mountains in summer-time during breeding. They have a repetitive plain whistle call, which can be the first sign of a dotterel if you come close to them. They have a brown streaked plumage, a black cap and with a white eye-stripe (supercillium), with rusty orange chest. In winter they fly south.

In a future post, we will talk about grebes and divers, as well as raptors.