Knot.

The knot is a medium-sized, wader a bit larger that a Dunlin {see picture 5}. They migrate to the UK in very large numbers during winter from their Arctic breeding grounds. Knots eat invertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans which they find by probing their bills in the mud and sand; special sensory organs in their bill tips help them to detect buried prey in a similar fashion to the way echolocation works in bats. For me, although not the 1st time I have seen Knots yesterday was the first time I was able to get some pictures of this bird.

UK wintering population:320,000 birds.

Little Grebe.

The little grebe, also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. they are a small bird with a weight:100-140g. They eat – Insects, larvae and small fish.

Population:

 UK breeding:5,300 pairs

UK wintering:16,000 individuals

Female

Male

Great crested grebe.

This elegant waterbird with ornate head plumes led to its being hunted for its feathers, almost leading to its extermination in the UK. The wintering population increases so I hope to get some closer sightings of this bird as we move into autumn and winter.

Population:

 UK breeding:4,600 pairs

UK wintering:19,000 individuals

War & Peace.

Extra Avocet pictures from Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve. Avocets are a great conservation success story during the 19th century, this beautiful bird was extinct in the UK. During WW2 coastal land and beaches in East Anglia were closed and flooded as a defence against invasion. This enabled Avocets to recolonise the area from war-torn Europe.

The population is now recorded as UK breeding:1,500 pairs UK wintering:7,500 birds in Europe:37-54,000 pairs.

Avocets are the emblem of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and they symbolise the bird protection movement in the UK.