Knot

• The knot is 24 cm in length with a wingspan of 59 cm
• It is a medium-sized wading bird that frequents sheltered estuaries in the winter months
• This long-distance traveller breeds in the high Arctic
• Knots have a relatively short beak and legs when compared to some other waders
• In winter plumage they are pale grey above and white beneath, with a strong pale stripe over each eye
• Knots often form very large flocks which wheel around in spectacular formations
• They feed on extensive estuarine mud flats and roost on rocks above the high-tide mark
• They are best seen between November and March
• Strangford Lough is the best place to find large numbers of knot, especially at the northern end near the Comber River estuary and the shore road near Newtownards
• Other estuaries such as Lough Foyle and Dundrum Bay hold smaller numbers of knot
• A rising tide concentrates the birds into larger flocks, and they begin moving to their secure roost sites a couple of hours before full tide
• The Knot's Latin name, Calidris canutus, recalling King Canute, stems from the fact that it is often found feeding on the tide edge, sometimes in large numbers