Stanley House site is proud parent of newborn Oyster Catcher chicks

Date: 14.06.2011

Simon Whittam, site manager at Stanley House and his team are celebrating the arrival of 3 little Oystercatcher chicks at 7am this morning which were born in the middle of their muck pile.

Oystercatchers are striking, black and white wading birds with long bright red bills.

Their bill is used to break into shellfish, and each individual inherits a particular technique from its parents. Despite the name, oystercatchers are not known to eat oysters and in fact favour mussels. They supplement this specialised diet of hard-shelled molluscs with softer-bodied invertebrates, such as crustaceans, worms and insects.

Oystercatcherd are primarily shorebirds, although they do sometimes breed inland by rivers and lochs. They are more usually found at the coast during the winter so goodness only knows why these little birdies have chosen this site to start their family!