Eggs everywhere but none to eat!

Good morning all, it's May and all of our natives birds and our migrants are laying eggs. I dont deliberately look for them but walking slowly as I do when I'm out and about, I do accidently stumble upon them, and that can be a problem as well as a blessing so I wanted to tell you about it.

Whether you are taking a stroll in the park, doing your gardening or even visiting the beach for your first dip in the year please do be careful. You or dog can easily do heart breaking damage to eggs, nests and new-born chicks in the blink of an eye so please do read on. Tbirds tht nest dirrectly on the ground but many are in danger of accidental damage that nest just off the ground and quite often right next to well trodden footpaths. Lets look at those on the beach.

These are Oystercatchers eggs and as with most beach nesting birds the nest is just above the high tide line. They look fairly obvious here but once you take a few paces back they just seem to blend in with the stones. The trick to avoiding them is to keep your ears open as you walk along (and your dog on a lead please). These were in Scotland but others beach nesters such as Ringed plovers, nest around the whole of the Britain and often at the top of beaches full of folk sunbathing etc. What to listen for is their alarm calls. All birds have alarms and they all have a system of alerting their partners, their chicks and whoever or whatever is approaching. At first, usually the male who is nearby during nesting time, will quietly peep or whistle to alert the bird on the nest that possible danger is nearby. The second stage alarm call is louder and repeated several times and the 1/3 is frantic and means all is about lost so save yourself. Usually this is accompanied by the male mobing approaching human, predator, clumsy cattle or even a vehicle and the female feigning injury and leading the threat away from the nest. And yet still I see folk chatting to each other and totally missing the point!

So, please do keep your eyes and eras open.

When I was little more that a child I wrote about the joy of accidently finding a nest full of eggs. I though that the sight of something so divine that only God should be able to see. Let me show you..