Tarmac's Report to Society - Environment
Little Ringed Plovers at Nosterfield
A quarry floor may not be the first place that springs to mind as a nesting site for birds. However, the Little Ringed Plover has become a regular visitor to Tarmac's Nosterfield Quarry, and was the focus of a BBC wildlife programme.
In May 2007 a BBC team spent five days at the quarry filming for the series The Nature of Britain, which is presented by Alan Titchmarsh. The programme was broadcast in December 2007.
Little Ringed Plovers, which visit the UK from March to September and confine their breeding to freshwater habitats such as gravel pits and reservoirs, have adapted to living and breeding at sites like quarries. These small wading birds have found Nosterfield Quarry an ideal environment for raising their young.
They nest in the quarry floor, where their eggs blend in with the natural colours of the local sand and gravel, camouflaging them from birds of prey and other predators. The flat floor of the quarry also affords the parent birds a good view, so they can see if any danger is approaching.
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