Where do wading birds live?

Habitats: Coastlines, estuaries and wetlands burst with wildlife all year round, however winter sees our wading bird numbers explode as they are joined by their migratory cousins. This is because the UK is an ideal ‘service station’ for migratory birds on their journey to warmer places such as north Africa or central Europe. Some will stay here before heading back north. Warm air provided by the gulf stream keeps our location temperate all year round, and with our island coastlines and estuaries there are lots of invertebrates and habitats to keep waders happy. 

Away from their breeding grounds, most waders gather around water. Some nature reserves are famous for attracting large numbers, but during autumn migration they can turn up almost anywhere. You could find them on coastal mudflats, inland gravel pits, and even stone-lined reservoirs. They migrate both night and day, so the cast of characters is always changing. A visit at dawn and another in the evening could reveal completely different birds. New arrivals are especially likely after a period of bad weather, forced to land by the rain.

Predators: Power in numbers, they become compact in flight to protect against predators. Sparrow hawks or peregrines will then find it very difficult to target a singular bird, they very rarely fly right into a bunched flock. The unpredictable swerving and dipping of knot and dunlin, for example, works well to outwit predators.

What do wading birds eat?

Wading birds usually eat aquatic organisms, such as worms, molluscs and crustaceans living in the mud or under rocks.  Each species is specially adapted to winkle their food out of the sand, water and mudflats.

Where can I see wading birds in our region?

Brockholes Nature Reserve
This former sand and gravel quarry has been transformed into a natural haven. It’s an ideal mix of wetlands, muddy islands, grasslands and woodland habitats which means it’s a great reserve to visit all year round.

Wading birds you can hope to spot at our flagship reserve are:
 

Lapwing As well as 'lapwing' and 'peewit', this bird is also known locally as the 'green plover'. Lapwings can be recognised by their long crests, black and white patterns, and very broad, round wingtips. From a distance, lapwings look black and white, but up-close, the back has an iridescent green and purple sheen. They are a stunning bird, a treat to see in the wild and are the namesake of our members’ magazine!
 

Oystercatcher The oystercatcher has a black head, back and wings, and a white underside. It has a long, red bill and pinky-red legs. Originally a coastal species, the oystercatcher has moved further inland over the last 50 years to breed on waterways and lakes. Most UK birds still spend their winters by the sea, however, and are joined by birds from Norway and Iceland.

Common sandpiper The common sandpiper is a small wading bird which breeds along fast-moving rivers and near lakes, lochs and reservoirs. Common sandpipers are green-brown above, with a bright white belly. They display a brown rump and strong white wingbars when they fly. They are most similar to wood sandpipers and green sandpipers, but are smaller and shorter-legged than both. Common sandpipers have a short, straight, grey bill and green legs.

Redshank  The redshank is a large sandpiper with long, bright red legs. It is a typical wader, feeding in shallow water around lakes, marshes, mudflats and coastal wetlands. Brownish all over, with a paler belly, the redshank is one of only two waders that has bright red legs; the spotted redshank also has red legs, but is slightly larger, with longer legs and a longer bill. The redshank has a straight bill, which is red at the base and black at the end. When it flies, it shows a white triangular wedge up its back and a wide, white triangle on its rear.

Snipe Snipe are brown, with an intricate pattern of black and gold bars, and a stripy brown and gold head. They have short, greyish-green legs and a very long, straight bill. It uses its long, probing bill to find insects, earthworms and crustaceans in the mud, typically swallowing prey whole. During the breeding season, males can be heard making a unique 'drumming' sound as their tail feathers vibrate in the wind as they perform their aerial courtship displays.

Jack snipe A small wader, about two thirds the size of a common snipe, which it resembles in plumage. The upperparts are brown with golden stripes, the belly is white and the breast is buff with thin dark streaks.

Ringed plover A small, rotund wader, the ringed plover nests on bare gravel, shingle and sand at the coast and around flooded gravel pits and reservoirs. Unlike its relation, the little ringed plover, it is a resident species in the UK, although it is joined by wintering birds from Europe. Larger and chunkier than the little ringed plover, the ringed plover has an orange bill with a black tip, orange legs and no yellow ring around the eye. Sandy-brown above and white below, it has a black chest-band and black bridle markings on its head. When it flies, it displays a broad, white wingbar.

Little ringed plover  Daintier than the ringed plover, the Little ringed plover has a black bill, pale, creamy-brown legs, and a bright yellow ring around the eye. It is sandy-brown above and white below, with a black chest-band and black bridle markings on the head.

Curlew Curlew are mottled brown and grey, with long, bluish legs and a long, downcurved bill that is pink underneath. It can be distinguished from the smaller whimbrel by the longer bill and plain head pattern. When they fly, curlew have a white wedge on the rump.

Whimbrel The whimbrel is like a smaller version of the curlew; it breeds on moorlands and uplands and can be seen at coastal habitats as it passes through on migration. The whimbrel is a streaky, greyish-brown wader, with long, blue-grey legs and a long, downcurved, grey bill. It can be distinguished from the larger curlew by its shorter bill and strong head pattern: a dark crown, a pale stripe down the middle, and a dark eyestripe. When they fly, Whimbrel show a white wedge on the back and tail.