Oystercatcher birds outlive life expectancy by 30-plus years
Jacquie Clark, from WWRG, said: "It was amazing to find the first oystercatcher and confirm it was the UK's oldest, but we're even more stunned that it's all happened again within just a few weeks. "To find an even older bird on The Wash is astounding. It just shows how crucial this huge coastal wetland is for these birds."The conservation charity said bird ringing in Britain and Ireland was coordinated and licenced by Thetford-based British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), which was able to confirm the ages of both birds. Bird ringing has been used to monitor wild bird populations for more than a century. Dr Ellie Leach, head of the BTO ringing scheme, said: "We know that the average oystercatcher lives for 12 years, but birds in their 20s and 30s are regularly recorded, so these two birds are old but not completely unexpected."Jim Scott, RSPB estate operations manager at Titchwell Marsh and Snettisham Reserve, said The Wash was a site of "international importance" for oystercatchers, with about 26,000 nesting there. He said: "Oystercatchers rely on The Wash mudflats for food as they are jam-packed with invertebrates such as ragworms, snails and shellfish. "So, in some ways, it's not really a surprise that these two record-breaking oystercatchers choose to spend every winter here."As time goes on we may find the longevity record of oystercatchers keeps getting extended... it just shows how important it is that we protect these areas."
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