Shorebirds wintering on UK coasts face cold, tidal disruption, and food scarcity. Understanding their welfare needs helps protect these remarkable migratory visitors.
Wintering shorebirds live on an energy knife-edge. Each disturbance that flushes a flock costs calories the bird may not be able to replace before the next high tide. Research shows repeatedly disturbed birds have lower body weights and reduced survival rates. The welfare of individual birds is directly tied to how well we manage coastal habitats and human activity during the winter months.