82 Bird watching WITH JOHN ASHTON T


hanks to Richard Moore for the excellent photos of WADERS, which are the most


numerous and diverse species of birds that fly down from their Arctic breeding grounds to brighten-up our gloomy winters here in Devon. They often mass together in huge mixed flocks on our foreshores and coastal marshes. There are two main families of


waders. The first contains the small, short and round “Plover type” with short bill and large eyes for spotting prey. They have a “run, stop, peck” method of hunting, while the second lot are the longer-legged “Sandpiper type” which have a longer bill containing special


Sanderling in association with


dash up to the water’s edge and immediately retreat like a flock of delightful clockwork toys. REDSHANKS and GREENSHANKS


Dunlin & Ringed Plove Drawing by John Ashton


Turnstone


sensors in the tip to locate prey when probing mud, sand etc. My drawing demonstrates a DUNLIN and RINGED PLOVER which are examples from both camps. The TURNSTONE is a chunky wader with a stout beak which it uses to fling aside pebbles or seaweed in order to discover any little creatures lurking underneath. The birds that spend the winter here have flown down from Greenland. From a distance a load of little moving white dots on the beach may turn out to be dainty little SANDERLINGS. They


Curlews


often get together while wading along the river’s edge, while CURLEWS, the biggest wader prefers the deep muck into which to probe with its impressive, long down- curved beak. I’m often asked, “Why does a wader sleep with one leg raised?” The answer is that if it raises the other one it will fall over!


Redshank Greenshank


Binoculars www.king–print.co.uk


Binoculars, Scopes & Astronomical Telescopes Tel: (01548) 856757 www.king-print.co.uk TOP of the TOWN, Fore Street, Kingsbridge, Devon. TQ7 1PP


Scopes


Instore, Online or Mobile


Top of the Town, Fore Street, Kingsbridge, Devon. TQ7 1PP


Photos Tel: (01548) 856757


Photos by Richard Moore


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100