Gallery - Waders-Calidris

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

The Dunlin has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

Outside the breeding season Dunlins gather in large flocks on seashores and estuaries rich in invertebrates, but also visit fringes of inland lakes. The Dunlin breeds on upland moors and on coastal grassland in the north.

Knot and Dunlin

BTO video about Knot and Dunlin

Knot (Calidris canutus)

The Knot has been classified as a Amber list species-medium conservation concern.

An artic breeding species which migrates long distances.They meet up in vast flocks that feed on invertibrates found in the mud between high and low tide lines.In Europe they are rarely seen away from the coast.

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

This long distance migrant breeds in Siberia and some winter in central and southern Africa. Those that migrate through Europe sometimes stop and feed on muddy or sandy coasts, saltmarshes or margins of inland lakes.

Sandling and Curlew Sandpiper

BTO video about Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

The Sanderling breeds in the high artic and those that visit Europe are from either Greenland or Siberia. It feeds on small invertebrates and often snatches food as it is washed ashore.

Temminck`s Stint (Calidris temminckii)

First found breeding in Britian in 1934, in recent years there have been two or three pairs nesting. Around 100 individuals are seen on migration each year. In Britian and Ireland most likely to be seen around the edges of freshwater lakes, pools and marshes, often close to vegetation. Sometimes visits creeks and brackish lagoons near the sea. Breeds mainly in the Artic.

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

The artic tundra is the breeding ground for this delicate wader. Its migration takes it to central and southern Africa. It feeds with rapid action on invertebrates, especially fly and beetle larvae. It is most likly to be seen around the muddy edges of inland pools or brackish pools near the coast.

Purple Sandpiper (Calidris manitima)

The Purple Sandpiper is a Amber list Species-Medium Conservation Concern.

It is to be found on rocky coasts for most of the year, nests on open ground in the Artic or the Scandinavian uplands. It feeds on invertebrates which it picks upfrom the waters edge or from newly exposed seaweed.

© Simon Thurgood 2024
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