Wildlife

Wild Dunlin Estuarine Welfare

Dunlins are one of the UK's most abundant wading birds, wintering on estuaries in huge flocks, with welfare tied to intertidal invertebrate food availability and disturbance at roost sites.

Key Facts

Over 480,000 dunlins winter on UK estuaries forming spectacular roost flocks
Dunlins feed by probing soft mud for worms and crustaceans at low tide
Tidal roost sites must provide safe high-tide refuge from disturbance and predators
Habitat loss from coastal development threatens key dunlin wintering sites
Climate change is altering mudflat invertebrate communities and dunlin prey availability

Welfare Considerations

Dunlin welfare depends on undisturbed intertidal habitat with abundant invertebrate prey. Protecting estuarine habitats from development and disturbance maintains winter welfare.

What You Can Do

Support estuarine habitat protection from development and industrial use
Observe roosting dunlin flocks from distance without causing flushing
Record dunlin counts through WeBS and other monitoring schemes
Donate to organisations managing estuarine habitats for wintering waders