RSPB welcomes avocets to Old Moor

Staff at the RSPB Old Moor reserve are delighted by the appearance of a pair of baby avocets—the first time the distinctive chicks have been seen on the site.

They have been waiting anxiously to see if three pairs of adult avocets which arrived last month would stay and breed.

And this week they discovered the waiting was over, with the hatching of two chicks, and others predicted to hatch soon.

Kate Thorpe, assistant warden, said: “Avocets are the birds on the RSPB’s logo, so we’re doubly delighted that these chicks have hatched on the reserve.

“At the moment, they are little more than bundles of fluff, but when they grow up they will be stunning to look at.

“They are instantly recognisable with their curved bill and black and white plumage.

“Visitors can easily see the parents and new chicks from two hides on the reserve.”

Once extinct in Britain, avocets have been making a comeback since the 1940s, when areas were flooded for military defences.”