Avocet

Following on from yesterdays post about the success of the Common Buzzard, I thought I'd talk about another success story, but one in altogether different circumstances...The Avocet.

The Avocet is the symbol of the RSPB and in their own words "Symbolises the bird protection movement in the UK more than any other species".

The Avocet returned to our shores in the 1940's after a long absence.
Because of a huge conservation effort and strict protection methods, their numbers have steadily risen annually.
The UK can now boast around 900 breeding pairs with up to 3500 individual birds wintering here.
We're very lucky here in the North West of England to be blessed with a number of sites which support good numbers of Avocets.

Most of the North West population of these birds is situated around various RSPB reserves, thanks mainly to the superb work the organisation has done in managing the habitat at these reserves and a lot of effort has been made in regards to tailoring the surroundings to meet the Avocets requirements.

The Avocet favours wetlands and coastal lagoons with shallow water which allow the bird to wade through looking for food.
The Avocets diet includes insects and crustaceans.

Moving away from the water, they also have a liking for digging around in mud for worms.