We walked through pastures with several dairy cows meandering at a leisurely pace or were just chewing cud in the sun.We passed through what seemed like a typical coastal agricultural land typical of the Jaeren landscapes.
Along the way there were several species of birds amongst them the most ubiquitous were the European Starlings, Oystercatchers, Gulls sp and Northern Lapwings. On the beach were the occasional Ruddy Shelduck, Common Eider, Common Ringed Plover and Dunlin.
The walk was slightly prolonged however we reached the beach in good time before the kids reached their threshold of bucolic scenery overdose. We were the only one at the beach that day aside from a family of four which turned up later and a couple of walkers and their dogs passing though. Even the birds seemed absent except those on a distant little island just slightly out in the water.
There were Oystercatchers and Gulls of course. On this trip we discovered nestlings of a pair of Oystercatchers right on the beach. They must not have been more than a couple of weeks old by their downy appearance. Both parents were most protective of their charge protecting them vehemently against flybys by seagulls (likely predator) and unsuspecting walkers; they did this my directly mobbing the gulls and making really loud noises again passers by.
We counted 3 downy youngs looking comical on their unpropotionately spindly legs moving in accordance to the instructions of their parent. The minute danger was identified, an alarm call was made out and the little fuzzy things would immediately assumed the frozen position flat on the ground; their coloration blended well with the beachscape with all the sand, small well eroded rocks and dried up kelp and seaweeds.
Their utter trust in their parent's judgement call would see them frozen to the ground immobile even when we were less than five feet away from them. An unuspecting eye would not notice their presence. However a dog's keen sight and sense of smell would probably spell the summary end of the little baby Oystercatcher.
Kvassheim Fyr sunset, there are birds all along the coast.
A few weeks old downy Oystercatcher in great camouflage on the beach.
Common blooms on the coastal pasture.
A pair of Ruddy Shelduck commonly seen in the area.
Waders are a common sight on the beach; Jaeren coast is an important waypoint for migrating waders moving North in spring and again South in the autumn. Some birds also breed here on the coast. Common Ringed Plover breeds here.
Eurasian Curlew, one of the breeders in Jaeren.
Oystercatchers are also breeders in the area.
Many shorebirds nest and rear their young in such open environment. This is common in the Jaeren landscape and elsewhere. Unfortunately some of these places are also popular with nature lovers, walkers and their dogs. In most places where breeding birds and their young are vulnerable to predation, signs are put up to warn visitors to put their dogs on leash between April and September. Some places go even further by putting these sensitive places completely offlimits to visitors to ensure successful breeding and safety of the young birds.
Most times there are no enforcement, rather good judgement on the parts of the visitors.
Nazeri Abghani, Jun 2013
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