Self-sufficient chicks
On the 2nd of June a hole started to appear on one of the eggs in the oystercatcher nest. The chicks can be heard ‘pipping’, calling to the parents from inside the egg. The first egg took 24 hours to hatch then the eggshells were removed by the parents, and taken away from the nest so that predators don't realise that something has just hatched. Named by the viewers as Oscar and Emmy, these small chicks were followed on the Springwatch webcams throughout the day. The young chicks start out quite wobbly but are pretty game, given the danger to ground nesting hatchlings. The parents are vigilant though and keep a watchful eye as the youngsters grow more sure of their feet, and feed themselves straight away on small grubs and worms. They’ll stay with the adult for quite some time, but will gradually move away. Oystercatchers are great sentinels and will sound the alarm when predators approach, to warn all nearby.
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