Oystercatcher

Description:

This is one of the largest waders in Palearctic, reaching some 40 to 45 cm in length. They are boldly coloured, pure white below and contrasting black above, with a black hood covering also the neck. They have red-orange legs, and strong red-orange bills, capable of opening mussels and other sea molluscs. IN Europe they are known as "Oystercatchers", while they are known as Eurasian, Common Pied, or Palearctic oystercatchers.

Habitat:

Observed on shores of rocky islands in protected natural reserve "the 7 Islands Archipelago", a set of rocky islands off northern shore of Brittany, France.

Notes:

This set of rocky islets has been a protected natural site since 1912 and classified as a Nature Reserve in 1976. Today, and so far, the Reserve is an undisputed kingdom of seabirds, and the access to these islands (actually, there are only five islands and two groups of rocks...) is very limited. You can visit the islands by the boat, while one can disembarque on foot only to one of the islands, les Moines. All others others are visited only rarely, and only by staff in charge of managing the place.