Photo: Les Bunyan
On the United Kingdom's Norfolk coast, the number of sandpipers, known as knots, has reached record numbers. For the first time, about 140,000 knots have been seen at the RSPB reserve at Snettisham. Previously the record was 120,000 in the winter of 1990-'91. These birds about 10 inches long embark on one of the longest migratory routes of any animal from their Arctic breeding grounds to Europe, Africa and Australia, where they spend the winter on coasts and estuaries, feeding on invertebrates. Wildlife photographer Les Bunyan, who's been documenting the spectacular murmurations and movements of tens of thousands of knots together, said, "I think it's so special because it's probably the only place you can witness these birds doing this on a regular basis anywhere in the country. People travel from all over the world to see this spectacle."
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