We ringed this guy and his two siblings last week in Kilcoole,
Co. Wicklow. It will be interesting to see if he turns up in Dublin Bay this winter.
Oystercatcher "LV" foraging with parent. Niall T. Keogh |
Looks like he’s getting a foraging lesson from one of his
parents. Who knows, today’s lesson could be on whether he’s going to be a
smasher or a splitter! It has long been thought that juvenile Oycs learn their
foraging strategy from their parents, i.e. whether they gain access to mussel
shells by hammering at them or by prising them open. However, it now seems that
things are more flexible, and that the birds can switch between foraging
approaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment