Winter Birding on the North Yorkshire Coast. Part one – Waders

Fri 28th Dec, 2012

In the first part of his inside guide to mid-winter birding on the coast, YCN's Mark James Pearson looks at that most charismatic and diverse of families, the waders.

One of the many luxuries of living on the North Yorkshire coast is the opportunity for entertaining year-round birding. At many other locations, even those which may be productive during migration and breeding seasons, the winter months present rapidly diminishing returns, and can be bleak for even the most dedicated birder.

Over here on the rich and varied shores of God's Own County, however, there's always plenty to enjoy if you know where to look, and finding something special is always a possibility.

Waders – or shorebirds, as they're known on the other side of the Atlantic (and somewhat more appropriately in this instance) – are a special feature of our coastline, from the sandy beaches of Redcar to the boulder-strewn undercliff of Speeton, and pretty much everywhere in between.

While in theory you can find several of the commoner species anywhere where the tide rolls in and out, there are a handful of 'honeypots' that host many of our regular wintering waders without the need for long treks or the intervention of lady luck. Some of these hotspots also serve to conveniently concentrate many of our winter waders into close-up and often multi-species flocks.

The most reliable and easily accessed wader hotspots are at seaside towns, and the best of these are Filey and Scarborough. At Filey, concentrations of waders can be at any one of several favoured neighbouring locations (or indeed, at all of them), partially depending on the tide. The Brigg – the dramatic, rocky plateau which spears out into the North Sea at the base of the eroding promontory known locally as Carr Naze – is a traditionally-favoured feeding and roosting site, and waders can be seen here at any time of day.

As well as numerous, approachable and entertaining Oystercatchers, Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones, Ringed Plovers, Redshanks and Dunlins are ubiquitous; small flocks of Sanderlings brighten up the bay corner on even the dullest of days, the odd Curlew is usually present, Knot are relatively regular, and scarcer visitors are well worth keeping an eye open for, too. On a good day, a haul of ten or more wader species isn't unusual.

High tide roosts tend to congregate at favoured spots along the southern flank of Carr Naze, often close to the bay corner; here, tightly-packed groups of Turnstones, Oystercatchers and Purple Sandpipers hunch together against the crashing waves just below them.

Despite the very public and oft-disturbed nature of the Country Park (the public land and car-park by the Brigg), the open grass is often graced by waders, especially at high tide (although at other times too), and this area provides perhaps the best opportunity to get extraordinarily close to the birds in question.

Slow moving or stationary vehicles pose little or no problem to the mixed groups of Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Turnstones, which can come within a couple of metres with a little patience and shrewd manouvring; look carefully and a Bar-tailed Godwit or Knot could well be probing the soft soil for invertebrates alongside them.

The harbour at Scarborough is accessible to the public, and is a wonderful place to get up close and personal with several of the commoner species. Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers are the main attraction here, and the former are so tame that they often actually approach observers in and around the car-park on the southern side of the harbour. The latter congregate on the sea defences, allowing for great views and close approach.

Not that these enchanting visitors are by any means confined to the above locations; find yourself a stretch of relatively undisturbed coastline here, and the chances are, you'll be in the company of waders. Better still, if your chosen stretch has several differing kinds of tidal habitat, and you'll likely find at least several species present. Even at low tide, many of the birds described can be seen, but they're more likely to be thinly scattered across their chosen feeding areas, and thus much less easy to gain good views of.

Of all the aforementioned species, two are particularly evocative of the North Yorkshire shoreline in winter. Sanderlings are perhaps the most iconically wintry presence on our beaches. Relatively short-billed, doe-eyed, and sometimes fantastically approachable, they're also noticeably pale, with a distinctively frosty overall appearance. Often found in small, hyperactive parties hurrying along the surfline, they can appear almost remote-controlled, legs whirring like mechanical wheels.

Perhaps the most coveted wader along our close-season shores, Purple Sandpipers are the quintessential Yorkshire coast poster-bird of the winter months. Breeding no closer than the wildflower-festooned tundra of northern Scandinavia, they require rocky, wave-bashed, seaweed-strewn shores on which to spend the remainder of their year, and are thus very much at home here.

Stocky, characterful and with a beautifully subtle, smoky-purple plumage, they can be found probing around rockpools with their medium-length, orange-based bills, and teetering along precipitous, surf-drenched ledges sensibly avoided by other species. Our coast hosts significant numbers, and is thus an internationally important area for them

Mark James Pearson