I had been watching a small group of these birds feeding on the rocks at the bas of the harbour wall in Whitby. They were using their beaks to flip over the seaweed in search of a meal. It was quite mesmerising watching them as they were so focused. What I hadn't realised however was that there were more of them on top of the harbour wall just a few metres away and it seems like they were hoping for handouts from the people walking by.
I was able to capture several nice shots of them and have selected just a few to share with you.
They are seemingly quite tame but also constantly on the move. These birds are still in their winter plumage, in the summer they have very distinctive markings, much bolder browns and a lot more white on the heads.
Turnstones do not breed in the UK, apparently there is only one possible recorded breeding event and that was in Scotland in 1976. Those that do visit the UK will breed in Northern Europe, Greenland and NE Canada. For a small bird they are very hardy and have been known to live to 22 years of age.
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