Eurasian Oystercatcher Nest Alters Road Construction

Construction workers in Vesturlandsvegur have left a gravel patch for a nesting pair of Eurasian oystercatchers, reports RÛV, who managed to alter road construction significantly with their presence.

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Construction workers are working on widening the westbound road around Kjalarnes. They came across the nesting pair who refused to budge from their spot, prompting workers to decide to leave the birds some space for their potential new family.

“It was in the spring that we saw that the birds had built a nest, there were no chicks or eggs or anything. And that was at the same time that we were working on a road project around here,” says project manager Þröstur Sívertsen. “The birds were very stubborn, they didn’t want to go. So the only way was to dig around here and leave this mound where the bird was.”

Eurasian oystercatchers are quite careless when they build their nests. They rarely do more than move a couple of stones or leaves, leading to them nesting in areas such as the worksite in Vesturlandsvegur.

This particular couple of Eurasian oystercatchers is still at their gravel nest at the worksite. They do not mind the machinery, but have a strong distaste for drones.

“We’ve been doing drone photography and they’ve attacked the drones,” says Þröstur. “They’re pretty tough, these oystercatchers.”