Waders Nests

Yesterday's walk along Golspie's beach took us to the section, about half way between the village and Littleferry, which is least troubled by humans and their dogs and where, in previous years, we've found waders nesting. Sure enough, we came across....

....oystercatchers along the shore which were looking worried at our approach and then one....

....skulking low on the bank of cobbles at the back of the beach. Later....

....we spotted a ringed plover - bottom left in the picture - just below an area which looked perfect for  a nest. As we approached the bird it did something we haven't seen a plover do before: it ran down the sand to....

....where the pebbles rocks and weed had been exposed by the low tide, crouched, and began to flap its wings as if in distress, a common tactic to lure a predator away from a nest.

We searched - very carefully and mostly using binoculars - for nests in the places where we suspected they might be, without success, but at least we know that there are a minimum of two oystercatcher nests and two ringed plover nests along this stretch of coast, fewer than in previous years but good to see anyway.