Oystercatcher with true grit

As I was locking up yesterday evening the usual flock of large gulls was loafing on the gravel spit east of the Tern hide, some of them quite near an Oystercatcher sitting on a nest. After a little while a pair of adult Greater Black-backed Gulls approached and I thought the nest was a gonner. The Oystercatcher started calling and crouched down lower, the male gull walked up to her looking down as though puzzled as to why she had not flown off, let's face it how many birds don't fly off when approached by a GBbG? However she sat tight, I was impressed, then the gull walked round behind her, I suppose she dare not move as this would have shown the eggs, then the gull bent down and pulled her tail, twice. Incredibly she still sat tight and in the end all was well as the gulls lost interest and walked off. I don't know if the eggs will hatch but this Oystercatcher has certainly shown she has true grit in her.