Oystercatcher – forty years ago in my nature notebooks

It’s over forty years since I first saw Oystercatchers and noted it down in my nature notebooks:

Oystercatcher - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) 2016 David Bailey (not the)

I was probably on a train heading deep into South Wales at the time.

On Westray there are many Oystercatchers; they don’t catch Oysters though. I prefer the name Sea Pie for them. The Orcadian dialect names for Oystercatchers include Skeldro, Chaldro and Shaalder.

Oystercatchers - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

At least if I call it Haematopus ostralegus everyone will know what I’m talking about, won’t they?

Oystercatcher - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

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