Poole Harbour Avocets

A trip to Poole Harbour on board a boat means an opportunity to see Avocets flocking. Their black and white plumage and long, thin upturned bills make them immediately recognisable.

Avocets are the symbol of the RSPB and are included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, giving them the highest protection in the UK. They are only present as a breeding species here because of 1940 preparations for a Nazi invasion meant suitable coastal nesting spaces were kept free of disturbance.

There really shouldn’t have to be a war on to provide safe spaces for other species to breed here undisturbed.