Oystercatching signs of spring

Shrill bird calls echoing the spirit of windswept shorelines are declaring the arrival of spring far from the sea.

- STUART WINTER

Weeks before the first swallows cast shadows over lush fields or the cuckoo rings out its signature song, noisy oystercatchers were turning up deep inland to begin summer nuptials.

Brash and loud, the oystercatcher is one of our most easily identifiable birds with a striking pied plumage radiating on the gloomiest days. Yet it is that supersize carrot of a bill that not only stands out in any shorebird crowd but is also the tool that opened up new frontiers.