Oystercatchers

There are twelve species in the oystercatcher genus Haematopus which, between them, are found along almost all the coastlines of the world, and some have adapted to life inland along waterways. The local species, the Eurasian oystercatcher, H. ostralegus, is amber-listed in the UK as almost half of the European oystercatcher population over-winter in the UK and, for reasons that are now known, numbers have been falling, particularly in Scotland.

Despite their name, oysters aren't important on their menu: they feed mainly on bivalves such as cockles and mussels, crustaceans such as crabs, and worms for which they probe into the sand or, if they're feeding in fields, earth. To break in to shellfish, some have shorter bills which they use to hammer through the shell, while others have longer ones which they use to pry the two sides of the shell apart.

We've seen up to fifty along the coast between Golspie and Littleferry but the numbers vary considerably, though there is hardly a day when we don't see any oystercatchers along the beach. In bad weather they favour the grass areas along the Golspie seafront or the golf course, where they search for earthworms. They operate singly or in small flocks of up to twenty or so birds.

They allow us to approach to within about 20 metres before they take off, emitting their very characteristic peep-ing call.