Most beloved 2008 Oystercatcher family

They just grew up in front of our eyes - mean in front of the nature reserve house on Ryashkov island where we live. In full tide both parents and two chicks were walking to-and-back-along the-coast... Piping when "kids" from hydrobiology group interfered at the intertidal zone. Finding rescue from Herring Gulls at the same time.

Now they can fly, and in spite of the fact that sex of the chicks is still unknown - they got the names (A50-orange is Senechka and 80-blue is Ilya) - same as the names of boys from the local city of Kandalaksha who help here on the island to research staff and who helped also in catching the two grown up chicks here.

Ringing still continues, and in the coming days we will also visit the islands where the largest pre-migration flock gathers as well.