Friday, July 9, 2021
Lincolnshire Avocets, July '21
A day's surveying in the post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland of the Killingholme area dominated by Avocets, and not just their flightlines and movements... in fact, a fair proportion of the time was spent in lollilop mode, shepherding chicks away from turning lorries, and shepherding (wholly sympathetic) lorry drivers away from chicks.
Interestingly, the well-developed but still flightless / helpless youngster pictured below not only didn't bother to run and hide, but actively 'fed' on the car park, swishing its vaguely comical, partially-developed bill from side to side on the concrete. Young Avocets can (and must) feed themselves - indeed, the younger chick on the Pits (above) was doing a fine job - but quite what food could be found by swashbuckling across concrete is anyone's guess.