Turnstone, flipping stones below

Verse 1
Out on rocky shores and sandy beach,
A small shorebird wanders wide,
Stocky, short‑legged, orange feet,
With patterned feathers bright.
In summer it’s russet, black and white,
With bold stripes on face and chest,
In winter calm brown‑grey tones,
But its shape you’ll still know best.

Verse 2
It breeds up north where tundra lies,
Near Arctic seas and streams,
In Canada, Alaska and northern lands,
Where summer’s daylight gleams.
There it nests on open ground,
A scrape lined soft with leaves,
Four olive eggs beneath the sky,
Hatched after twenty‑four days.

Verse 3
When summer ends it takes to flight,
A migratory song,
Across the oceans, coasts and sands,
It travels far and strong.
To beaches, mudflats, rocky coasts,
From Europe down to Africa,
From both Americas to distant isles,
It winters near the surf.

Pre‑Chorus
Over waves and drifting tides,
In small flocks tight and high…

🎶 Chorus 🎶
Turnstone, turnstone, flipping stones below,
Orange legs and patterned feathers, where the cold winds blow.
From Arctic summer breeding grounds to sunny shores it goes,
Turnstone, turnstone, wild and free wherever tides will flow.

Verse 4
It walks the edges of the sea,
Turning stones to find its food,
Crustaceans, molluscs, worms and bugs,
Hidden under every brood.
Small fish, eggs, carrion too,
Nothing safe beneath its bill,
A forager with skillful touch,
On rocky shore or sandy spill.

Verse 5
In flight it’s swift with wavering wings,
A chatter in the breeze,
Calls a staccato rhythm out,
A chorus by the seas.
Sometimes it mixes with other birds,
Dunlins and knots nearby,
Moving with the tides and winds,
Beneath a changing sky.

🎶 Final Chorus 🎶
Turnstone, turnstone, flipping stones below,
Orange legs and patterned feathers, where the cold winds blow.
From Arctic summer breeding grounds to sunny shores it goes,
Turnstone, turnstone, wild and free wherever tides will flow.

Outro (soft)
From rocky coast to sandy beach,
Across the world it roams,
The Ruddy Turnstone finds its way,
Oceans wide its home.