Tame turnstones..

[actionfinch]

During my hols dispite the lack of full on bird watching , a day trip to brixham in devon filled me with joy .
Turnstones , yes i have seen them , there not new but when there running around the little fishing village 1 ft away from you at times , was something else . Gulls feral pigeons yes but turnstones . I was in my element .
Question: Is this normal behavour. or have they learnt to adapt?

[werdnal]

There is a small flock of tame ones at Mevagissey in Cornwall aswell. We have had them running around our feet when we've sat on the quay eating a bag of chips.

[riggy]

Originally Posted by actionfinch

During my hols dispite the lack of full on bird watching , a day trip to brixham in devon filled me with joy .
Turnstones , yes i have seen them , there not new but when there running around the little fishing village 1 ft away from you at times , was something else . Gulls feral pigeons yes but turnstones . I was in my element .
Question: Is this normal behavour. or have they learnt to adapt?

On holiday in Bridlington Yorkshire end of August beginning of Sept we spent a while watching the turnstones on the harbour wall, picking up bits of food etc. They came from the rocks next to the harbour wall onto the wall when the tide came in. It could be an adaptation of normal behaviour intersting we have seen it so far apart.

[solus]

Padstow in Cornwall is another place where the Turnstones hang around the harbour looking for human-dropped titbits!

Definitely not "natural" behaviour but a beneficial adaptation to obtaining easy pickings from us - after all, it involves a lot less effort than turning over seaweed and stones looking for invertebrates! From our point of view, lovely to see them so close.

[lastcornishman]

Yep Padstow is good for Turnstones, very tame in winter,

[shenk1]

Yep,the same in Whitby.

I credit them for getting me back into birds and nature

[pressld2]

When visiting Salthouse in Norfolk for the snow buntings, the turnstones will come in very close too, sometimes too close to focus on.



Also at Leysdown, they and the sanderlings can be very approachable, much more so than the other waders or even the gulls.



Neil (Ukwildlifeo) got a great shot of one on Southend pier taken with a wide angle lens.

Dave P.

[DOXHOPE]

Ive had them sitting on my head

[JeffH]

Turnstones display the same habits at Brancaster Staithe and Morston on the North Norfolk coast

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by JeffH

Turnstones display the same habits at Brancaster Staithe and Morston on the North Norfolk coast

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

I've seen this when I was staying at Hunstanton a few years ago.