Pied Avocet

The first bird I want to start with is the Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta. This bird is the emblem of the RSPB a wonderful wader iconic with it's pied plumage and curled beak. They can be found in marine and intertidal habitats (t2 in UKHab code for any consultants) in particular mudflats as well as wetland habitats (f) and grassland (g 503). If I was out on a bird survey I would use the BTO code AV to mark a sighting of one of these birds. It uses it's beak to sweep through the mud looking for it's prey of aquatic invertebrates, such as: insects, crustaceans and molluscs. The RSPB provides details of various reserves where you can see them on their website (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/avocet) 

Adult Pied Avocet Roosting

The Avocet is listed as Schedule 1 on the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) which makes it an offence to disturb them when they are nesting. They often breed in shallow, brackish coastal lagoons, salt marshes, estuaries, and freshwater lakes. In the UK there are approximately 1,950 breeding pairs and they usually nest between April and August. The nests are usually simple scrapes in the ground, but can also be more elaborate nests on floating vegetation. The female lays 3–5 eggs, and both parents incubate them for about 23–25 days.

Juvenile Pied Avocet

In winter, pied avocets migrate to warmer regions, such as Africa or southern Asia. However, there are approximately 8,700 birds which overwinter here in the UK predominantly in the South West of England and Southern Wales. These birds are also, listed as Amber on the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) 5.  As these birds are found all year round this makes mitigation for development tricky. As with any development the mitigation hierarchy should be followed. 

Adult Pied Avocet in flight

This starts with avoidance: first instance can the development be developed without impacting supporting habitat to the avocet this is often rebutted with a no from the client but always worth asking. Following this, avoid the bird nesting period (March to September) extended beyond Avocet breeding period as there are likely other breeding species within the supporting habitats which could also be impacted and all birds nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Further mitigation measures, depending on the development, involve avoiding construction activities less than 100m from bird activity (your survey data should be used to determine suitable distances based on number of birds present) and sudden noises over 60dB and continuous or repetitive noises over 72dB. Some development may be considered unacceptable without suitable compensation and replacement.