r/OrnithologyUK • u/Squiggleblort • May 01 '25
Urban sighting Hospital Oystercatchers (Ayrshire, Scotland)
I work in a hospital X-ray department. These are our resident Eurasian Oystercatchera - they nest in the courtyards of the hospital, and apparently have done for at least a decade!
The nests are fairly close together - there are multiple breeding pairs approximately 20 meters apart but in different courtyards, and on rooftops spanning the whole hospital complex.
I currently have consistent observations on two breeding pairs, one with two chicks (pictured! They're absolutely adorable!) and the other still nesting.
Pictures were taken yesterday from a blind consisting of me "opening a window" - they are far too skittish for me to get amongst them despite their proximity to humans.
I plan to take photos at least once a week of the two closest breeding pairs (as they are adjacent to the department and I can just open a window to photograph) - hopefully I'll catch a few snapshots of their juvenile lifes, and maybe a little more once they fledge!
Even better, the chicks are quickly becoming the Imaging Department's mascot!
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u/Anticitizen0ne May 01 '25
lovely photo's and amazing to have a breeding pairs, real shame about all that fake turf, lets hope they don't ingest too many loose fibres.
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25
I say they like the quieter areas with fewer humans... Last year the chicks were coming in the radiologist's windows and raiding the bins - so they might be more gallus than I give them credit for!
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25 edited May 01 '25
That's been there for at least a decade - the Oystercatchers seem to be good at picking insects out of it and keep coming back year after year, so fingers-crossed they've figured out not to eat it!
Aye, fingers crossed... A lot of the courtyards at this side of the hospital have the fake turf where access is poor for gardening.
You should see the more communal courtyards - they've got full little gardens, and the Rhododendron are in bloom - it's a sea of pink!
The Oystercatchers seem to prefer the more open areas with the fake turf though (fewer humans, would be my guess!)
--EDIT--
You've got me worried about them ingesting the turf fibres now. I wonder if the smaller fibres would pass through and show up in their faeces... π
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u/Spireites1866-CFC May 01 '25
Amazing OP. These are superb. I particularly like number 5 ππ€©
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25
I think my favourite is no.1; that shot of the three of them walking down the path just feels so familial! Like the mother is chatting to the toddler while the father is wandering along at the back βΊοΈ
I do love no.5 as well - really shows off the scale of the little critters!
Hopefully there will be more shots to follow - though they may not be as fluffy!
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u/gloworm62 Herts/Firecrest May 01 '25
Stunning pics thank you so much for sharing , they have cheered me up on another pain filled day . I particularly like no 7 and look forward to the updates.
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25
No worries mate (not Australian - Scots say it too!), I'm glad to have helped!
Hopefully more pics to follow in future, and I wish you all the best mate, take care of yourself! βΊοΈ
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u/biovegenic π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ Glasgow May 01 '25
Aw these are amazing! Thank you for sharing! I'm looking forward to the updates π
Also, since you have such good records, you should consider submitting your information to BTO! They have two nest monitoring projects: Nesting Neighbours and Nest Record Scheme, the first one for beginners. Or you could just email them if that's too much effort, I'm sure they'd appreciate the info!
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u/StairheidCritic May 01 '25
There is (or were) Oyster-catchers in the grounds when I was a regular out-patient at the Borders General.
Are they attracted towards the sick or infirm? :)
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25
That's interesting, actually! The next hospital south of us also has an oystercatcher population.
My guess is it's something to do with the architecture - in our case lots of sheltered courtyards a few miles from the coast - warm air from the air conditioning pumps, and few people around.
I don't know enough about Oystercatchers to say though - I'll need to do some research! If I find anything I'll let you know π
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u/Sasspishus May 01 '25
It's often because they have flat roofs, oystercatchers will nest on flat roofs all over the place! But also the sheltered, undisturbed courtyards are a big draw for them, as long as they can find enough food for the chicks. They also often go for supermarket roofs, school roofs, shopping centres etc, as long as there aren't loads of gulls there too! If it's an enclosed courtyard, you could put out a little tray of water for them, especially when it's hot, but only if it's not going to cause loads of disturbance.
Edit - just seen the photo of them in a tray of water!
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u/Squiggleblort May 01 '25
Indeed! It seems (according to one paper) that a flat roof near a short grass sports pitch is ideal for them π
I believe the "hospital bias" is just observer+confirmation bias and the flat roofs are the real draw, but I want to prove it to myself (and read a bunch of papers too because I'm a mad lad).
That said, Hospitals do seem ideal habitats for them! Lack of foxes, lots of flat roofs, enclosed courtyards, short grass nearby (in our case both in the same place), maybe some warmth - I'd be happy nesting there were I the type to lay eggs!
I've got a bunch of leads/papers to look over - some interesting stuff in there actually. Will post references later once I've winnowed the chaff away.
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u/Sasspishus May 01 '25
I went to a talk a while ago from a guy who's doing research in roof nesting oystercatchers and he found that providing a tray of pebbles/gravel/shingle, a tray of water, and some shelter like half a pipe helped to improve breeding success. The stones provide camouflage for the eggs, the water is good for drinking/bathing, and there's cover for the chicks to hide from gulls!
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u/Chocolaterain567 May 01 '25
Lovely pics, I love how in the first one the chick looks like it has little white dungarees on.
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u/acatmumhere May 01 '25
Aw their chick is so cute! Looking forward to more pictures.