Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Who can forget Oscar and Emmy, the oystercatcher chicks from Springwatch 2008? But what do oystercatchers get up to in autumn?

Can you spot an oystercatcher on Dorset Wildlife Trusts' Brownsea Island Lagoon webcam?

View a slideshow of your amazing avocet pictures in the Flickr group.

Species information

With its bold black and white colours, red-orange bill and pink-red legs, this large wading bird is unmistakeable. When they're in flight look for a white stripe along the wings and listen for a high pitched 'beeping' sound.

Oystercatchers should be viewable all year round near the coast, and recently they have been encroaching inland to breed. They're also found in major estuaries and on river banks and mud flats. Oystercatchers from Iceland and Norway also overwinter in the UK.

As the name suggests, oystercatchers do sometimes feed on oysters but more usually on cockles and mussels. They also eat worms. Individuals either have short and blunt bills or longer pointed beaks depending on their feeding habits.

Oystercatcher fun

Chicks just want a huggie! Remind yourselves of a Springwatch star.