Page 35 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

ESTUARIES AND LOW-LYING COASTS

ADAPTATIONS
The curved bill of the Curlew is strong enough WHERE TO WATCH
to catch and break up crabs.
With flattened, chisel-shaped bills,Oystercatchers
prise shellfish off rocks and break into them.
The camouflage patterning of the Little Tern’s
eggs allows it to lay them straight onto sand or shingle
without building a nest.
They are perfectly
camouflaged against the
WADERS FLOCK TO SAFE ROOSTS AT HIGH TIDE
beach so are usually safe
even when unattended. 1 MORECAMBE BAY, 3 IJSSELMEER,
Broad, flattened bills ENGLAND NETHERLANDS
with rough edges are This is a vast estuary complex This enclosed and part-reclaimed
swept in semi-circular LITTLE TERN with mostly sandy flats fringed estuary sees migrant gulls,
with extensive salt marshes and
terns, and waders in spring and
directions across soft mud sand dunes. Firm banks above autumn while in winter it has
and shallow water by Shelducks.This enables them the high tide mark offer refuges great numbers of Tufted Ducks,
to gather up tiny snails, which they then feed on. for wildfowl and waders to roost Pochards, Scaup, Wigeon,
Goosanders, and Smews.
at high tide. The area attracts
Long legs allow waders, such as Knots, to stand Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed
upright in water, while their long toes stop them Godwits, Knots, Dunlins, 4WATTENMEER,
sinking into the sticky mud.Their sensitive bill tips Curlews, Shelducks, Redshanks, GERMANY
allow them to probe for worms.The length of the Ringed Plovers, and Turnstones. This is the eastern end of the
bill is a good clue 2THE WASH, Netherlands’ Waddenzee – a vast,
to the depth to ENGLAND shallow area of estuarine character
where over a million water birds
which a species The wash is a huge enclosed appear in spring and autumn.
will probe and estuary that opens out onto the
the size of food North Sea. Most of it is muddy,
they take. but there are sand banks at the
mouth and extensive saltmarshes
around the edges. It sees big
flocks of Knots, Dunlins, Bar-
SHELDUCK tailed Godwits, and Grey Plovers.
In winter it attracts tens of
thousands of Pink-footed Geese, AVOCETS
Brent Geese, and Wigeon.
5 EBRO DELTA,SPAIN
This area is half reclaimed but is
still great for birds; in summer it
has the world’s biggest colony of
Audouin’s Gulls as well as Gull-
billed Terns, Kentish Plovers, and
Pratincoles. In autumn and winter
KNOTS Greater Flamingos and many
wildfowl and waders can be seen.
PINK-FOOTED GEESE
Low-lying
coasts
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