Bird Life
Morecambe Bay draws in over a quarter of a million birds each year. The mudflats of the bay provide a ‘canteen’ of essential foods to feed a variety of appetites, the cockles, mussels, shrimp, lugworm and much more feed - for example - the numerous Curlews, Dunlin, Lapwing, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, the swirling Knots, Turnstone and the Bar and Black-tailed Godwits.
The Bay makes an ideal feeding station for migrating birds, they can travel thousands of miles from arctic regions during the colder months of the year and stay for days, weeks or months to feast on the millions of creatures.
Single Curlew
Winter is a particularly stressful time for these birds, some of which may have lost half of their body weight during migration. They need to be able to rest and feed on the marshes and mudflats undisturbed, to regain condition and put on enough weight to survive the winter and make the migration back to their breeding grounds in the spring.
The curlew is Europe’s largest wading bird and can be seen at Sunderland Point, but numbers are declining and it has been red listed. Residents keenly support conservation measures.
Dunlins
And on the land, the birdlife is just as varied. Swallows, House Martins and various Warblers (in Summer); Crows, Starlings, numerous Tits, Sparrows, and Finches are a selection of species that inhabit the Point.
Ringed Plover
Knott with Black-tailed Godwit
It’s not just the waders that can be seen on the shores at the Point, Gulls of many varieties, Wildfowl, Ducks, Herons, Terns, and Cormorants can be observed in abundance.
Whimbrel
The winter months can herald the arrival of Fieldfare and Redwing from Scandinavia and Twite from the Western Isles of Scotland.
Please…
Keep a respectful distance away from flocks of birds
Always keep dogs on leads to avoid disturbing and distressing feeding waders and wildfowl
Don’t fly drones, model aircraft or kites over the salt-marsh or mudflats
Always keep to the public footpaths
Follow the Countryside Code