Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain

October 2004, Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus

The books indicate that the oystercatcher is a common visitor during migrations, peaking in April and September and a rare winter visitor mainly on the Atlantic coast where there are also a very few permanent residents Those people going on Bob Gaston's New Year Golf Trip to Ayamonte should see hundreds on the lagoon near the hotel. We were fortunate then to see this one in the estuary at Sotogrande in the last week of August. As anybody familiar with Morecambe Bay or the Wash will know, where there is one oystercatcher there will be many others. They are a very sociable bird. Oystercatchers breed in the UK, Northern Europe and on the Russian steppes. Those in the UK are generally resident but the others migrate in spring and autumn to winter here and North Africa.

It is a very distinctive bird with its black and white livery, orange to red beak and legs and a red iris. The beak colour, shorter legs and 'dumpier' appearance distinguish them from the black winged stilt. They feed on molluscs and worms on the shoreline and in really bad weather will move inland a little and feed on worms.