Country diary: The plovers peck and the sandpipers probe | Mary Montague

Tyrella Beach, Co Down: The tide is out, and so are the waders, all magnificently modified and finessed from their common ancestorI adjust my spotting scope and get a sudden close-up of these contrasting strategies. A ringed plover has paused nearby. It tilts its head, then rushes forward to stab its short bill into the sand. Further down the shore, a dunlin - a small sandpiper species - ambles around a low sawtooth of rock. All the while, it drills steadily at the sand with its longer, slightly downturned bill.I look back to the sea. The tide's leading edge chases a froth of sanderlings across the lower shore. A turnstone is impatiently flipping through clumps of seaweed. The glistening shallows are stencilled with silhouettes. I focus on a group of oystercatchers as they stroll through the water like day-trippers - until the level drops. Then they hammer their bright orange bills at the wet substrate. Behind them, an incoming wave has collapsed around a curlew's thighs. This elegant shorebird is unruffled. It continues to probe its finely down-curved bill through the deeper water. Continue reading...