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Oystercatchers dyed yellow – Help track their movements.

20/04/2007 00:00:00

Some facts about Oystercatchers:

Oystercatchers are black and white wading birds, with long pink legs and a long orange beak.
The long beak is used to break into the shellfish, mainly cockles and mussels, that the birds eat. They also eat soft invertebrates such as worms and insects.
Each Oystercatcher has its own unique way of breaking into the hard shell of the shellfish.
Despite their name, Oystercatchers rarely eat oysters.
Oystercatchers can be found along most of the UK’s coast during the winter. Between January and March the birds fly further north to breed - some to Scotland and some as far north as Iceland and Norway.

November 2007. More than 100 Oystercatchers from the Burry Inlet have been dyed yellow as part of a tracking project run by the Countryside Council for Wales and the British Trust for Ornithology.

A team of ornithologists spent a day at Whiteford Burrows National Nature Reserve, in the Gower, catching, ringing, and marking the birds, by dyeing their white breasts yellow.

Matt Murphy, an Ornithologist for the Countryside Council for Wales, said: ‘The aim of the project is to learn more about the movements of the birds between the Burry Inlet and nearby intertidal areas, such as Carmarthen Bay.

‘The information gathered from sightings will then be tied in with other detailed surveys, enabling us to gain an over-all view of their movements.’

Niall Burton from the British Trust for Ornithology said: ‘We’re very pleased that after two failed attempts, earlier in the month, we finally managed to catch some Oystercatchers.

Oystercatcher dyed yellow. © Countryside Council for Wales

‘In order to be a success, this project really needs the help of the public. If anyone spots the yellow Oystercatchers, please report your sightings to the BTO or CCW, stating the location, time and date.’

What to do if you see one
If you are lucky enough to spot one of the yellow Oystercatchers please contact Niall Burton at the British Trust for Ornithology at niall.burton@bto.org.uk or on 01842 750050, or contact Matt Murphy from CCW at m.murphy@ccw.gov.uk.

The dye used, picric acid, is not harmful to the birds and will last the winter - disappearing as the birds naturally shed their feathers.

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