Strolling along a small beach in Brittany (France) I see a small bird scrubbing between the washed up seaweed. It turns out to be a rock-pipit (Anthus petrosus): a small bird (15.5 to 17cm long) from the family of pipits and wagtails. It is mainly found on the coast, near salt water, in salt marshes and along piers, in ports and on basalt blocks and dikes. It breeds on rocky seacoast and islands with low vegetation.
In the period September-November (mainly during daytime) some 1000 birds from Scandinavia migrate to the Netherlands to spend the winter on the Dutch coast, especially in the Delta and the Dutch Shallows. Sometimes they reach Brittany, and some individuals even fly to Spanish and Portuguese coasts. From March-April they all return to the north.