In a 2020 paper, Mark Whittingham and colleagues show that, in one area of northeast England, the decline in Turnstone numbers is more obvious on mainland sites that are subject to human disturbance than on offshore refuges. Whilst national declines are probably linked to factors affecting productivity in breeding areas in Greenland and Canada, it is interesting that Turnstone seem to be withdrawing into areas where they are subject to less winter disturbance.
Turnstones – some background
The Turnstones that we see around the coastline of Britain and Ireland in the winter are almost exclusively birds that fly here from Greenland and eastern Canada, as you can read in this blog about wader migration (Which wader, when and why?). Britain’s wintering Turnstone numbers are falling, as are populations of several other species, such as Curlew, Oystercatcher, Knot and Redshank (see Do population estimates matter?). Turnstones are opportunist…
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