A large black and white wader with, a long orange bill, orange eyes, and reddish-pink legs. In winter plumage they have an extra white mark on the throat.
Quite unmistakeable really.
In flight, it shows a wide white wing-stripe, a black tail, and a white rump that extends as a 'V' between the wings.
The sexes are similar, but at close range it's noticeable that the bill of the female is longer and thinner than that of the male.
I'm guessing this one's a male
Their habitat is the coastal rocks and beaches, sand dunes, shingle areas on rivers and lakes and intertidal mudflats.
They nest on the ground in the open, or in areas with sparse vegetation; built by both sexes, it consists of a shallow scrape either unlined or lined, with dead vegetation, small stones and other debris.
They will also nest on flat roofs of buildings.
For a lot more birds from around the world, click the picture below, to go to Springmans WBW.
Enjoy your week
50 comments:
Great post of a really interesting bird!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
they're really striking birds!
and what a lovely menagerie of waterfowl in that video!
Unmistakeable, yes, and that orange beak makes it possible to pick them out from a distance. They seemed quite exotic the first time I saw one.
Lovely photos of a very striking bird and an informative post Keith. My goodness, it was windy in that video!
Thanks Gary. I'm lucky to have a pair at my local lake at the moment; that's where the pictures came from.
Thanks Theresa. The last clip in the video is from another of my local lakes; a real haven for wading birds.
Martha, they certainly stand out ;-)
Thanks Jan. Yea, that wind was pretty strong that morning.
Very good capture!
Modesto, thank you :-)
Striking bird and absolutely gorgeous on the fly. Reminds me a little of a sandpipers surprising wing markings. Nice to make it's acquaintance. Excellent post of course!
Thank you Springman. They certainly are a striking bird.
A beautiful bird, in fight is unmistakable, and it's song, you can't miss it. Nice one Keith.
Thanks Bob. Yea, they are a stunning looking bird.
Awesome photos Keith - I love this birds ! We have some of them here too, never get close enough to take som decent shots !! Impressed by yours :)
Hope you well ;)
You caught some great images to go along with your descriptions, Keith. The in-flight coloration is gorgeous.
Excellent photos and video! I'm waiting for our local Oystercatchers to show up.
The flight capture is great....this is one of the birds that got me birding...
Pied Oystercatchers are always striking and beautiful. They seem to be all around the world but with slight variations!
I remember watching them on Rathlin Island - they were gorgeous and unmistakable, as you said. But I've never manage to sake such good photos of them!
Brilliant clear photos Keith. The water looked a bit choppy and most of the birds looked as though they preferred solid ground, except the Swans.
Even a bit of Oyster Catcher rumpy pumpy as well.
Great shot of the Oystercatchers. They are beautiful birds. I enjoyed your video, sounds very windy.
love that third shot Keith. interesting and a nice looking bird. fun to watch.
Thanks Pescalune. I was lucky; this one was too busy feeding to take much notice of me. Got a few days off work next week, so I can catch up on things ;-)
Linda, thank you. :-)
Maine Birder, thanks. They're lovely birds; hope you don't have to wait too long.
Thanks Andrew. They are striking birds aren't they.
Thanks Mick. Yea, a universal bird :-)
Thank you Joo. I got lucky with these :-)
Thanks John. Quite a few windy mornings taking these.
I almost missed the 'Oyster action' lol
Eileen, thank you. We've had a few days recently.
Thanks Doreen. Glad you enjoyed them :-)
The third shot makes me wish I had taken it.
Lovely pics.
Thank you Indrani :-)
What a beautiful bird! Love the flight shot!
Beautiful photos !! I love the third one in flight !!
It is a very beautiful bird !! We don't have here in Canada
we only find this bird in America on the coast of USA.
Excellent and informative post Keith. And great images to show off a bold and colourful bird. :o)
Great photos of this beautiful bird, I know we have them in sweden but I havent seen them up here in the north. So unusual with the red eye.
Hi there - very nice Oycs - I like the images that have the grass fringe - adds something to the picture I think.
Cheers - Stewart M
These are some brilliant shots Keith. Telling a male from a female ain't easy.
I read on the BTO website that the oldest recorded Oystercatcher was 36 years, 8 months, 16 days. Just about your age Keith {:)))
Terrific photos! So clear. I really like this bird!
Thanks Dominique. They're usually a coastal bird here, but do venture inland at times.
Thanks Trevor. I hope these manage to breed successfully.
Thanks fjällripan. The eyes are quite striking.
Thank you Stewart :-)
Cheers Roy. Yea, I was definitely that age once lol
Thanks Pam. :-)
Nice set Keith... The second and the last shots are my favorite, this low angle approach gives it a special touch ;-)
... such a stunning contrast of colors on this bird!! Excellent photos, and a great tip about the beak size--
I would say I could easily ID this bird after seeing your very good images!
Oystercatcher's are my favourite bird Keith so thanks for sharing. We call them all Geoffrey. I'm sure there is a story behind that somewhere.
Thanks Chris. I love to get the 'low' shots when I can. Not as easy as it used to be though lol
Thanks Sondra. :-)
Thank you Jean :-)
Thanks Adam. Hmmm, Geoffrey; I'm intrigued now lol
Great shots of the Oystercatcher. If I translate our name for it it would be "beach magpie" :)
A beautiful bird, I love their black and white pattern. Great captures!
A very neat bird~! Glad you included this video. You always get good flight photos of your birds.
They are quite distinct. I love the sharp orange eyes in your photos.
NatureFootstep I love that translation of the name. It sounds just perfect. Thanks :-)
Thank you Inger. They are quite striking. :-)
Thanks Shelley. I get a lot of rubbish flight ones too lol
Thanks Wren. The eyes are very distinctive. :-)
I have spotted oystercatchers for the first time in my area, on the shoreline, in spring but didn't manage to get a proper shot. Yours are fantastic as usual.
Great set, specially the BIF! Took these with your new Fuji? I found some marvelous birds,damsel and dragonflies looking at your previous posts too!
Thank you Jm. :-)
Amila, thank you. These were all taken with the Canon and the 100-400; I use the Fuji mainly for video now.
Wonderful photography of a very colorful bird. I still need to add this species to my life list.
Thanks Kathie. They have a great colour combination don't they. :-)
Great post on the Oystercatcher Keith! Those in-flight shots are absolutely marvelous. Excellent video too, catching the pair copulating at the end with the goose coming in to make the spectacular splash for the finally ;-0
Thanks Larry. Yea, that goose was a bonus at the end lol
Such an intense red...
Thanks Mike. Yea, they certainly stand out in a crowd ;-)
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