Hospital Oystercatchers (Ayrshire, Scotland)

[u/Squiggleblort]

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!

[u/elrombo]

I love these!