Oystercatchers nest on exposed beaches, rocky shores and increasingly on inland gravel areas. Their welfare is affected by coastal recreation, predation and shellfish food availability.
Oystercatcher welfare during the breeding season is directly shaped by recreational disturbance. Adults repeatedly flushed from nests by dogs or walkers leave eggs exposed to chilling and corvid predation. Nests on popular beaches may be disturbed dozens of times daily, making successful incubation effectively impossible. Chicks in their first weeks cannot fly and hide when alarmed, but are vulnerable to trampling and predation during the hiding period. Adults performing distraction displays to draw people and dogs from chicks expend significant energy. The long lifespan of oystercatchers means that individual birds breeding on busy beaches may experience decades of breeding failure due to recreational disturbance.