THE FASCINATING LIFE OF SANDPIPERS - INCLUDING THIS LITTLE VISITOR TO CLEETHORPES

                                        

The short visit by a sandpiper seemed to take a  resident woodpigeon by surprise

APART from herons, wading birds seldom visit Cleethorpes Boating Lake so a visit by a common sandpiper late last summer was a surprise.

It was taking a breather on migration from somewhere further north to wintering grounds in central or West Africa.

Unperturbed by the proximity of a much larger woodpigeon, it was looking to feed up on anything from ants to beetles, from spiders to worms.

This species - and its cousin, the spotted sandpiper - are the subject of an entertaining book by Phil Holland.                                                                          

It is packed with fascinating information - for instance, that sandpipers can live for up to 15 years, that their peck-rate is 3,638 per day and there is one is featured in a stained glass window in St Mary's Church, Selborne in Hampshire.

Although sometimes the target of kestrels or sparrowhawks, adults escape by  diving under water and remaining immersed for as long as 30 seconds.

However, eggs and chicks are vulnerable to magpies, stoats and rodents.

The book is published by Scottish firm Whittles Publishing Ltd which has built up an impressive portfolio of ornithological and natural history titles.

The recommended retail price is £18.99, but, until April 12, there is a 20 per cent discount for Grimsby News readers by inserting the code WPLINCS20 at the online checkout. 

https://www.whittlespublishing.com