6 September: what is celebrated today

World Shorebirds Day

The “shoreline runners” are long-distance migrants that use beaches, dunes, salt marshes and wetlands as biological filling stations. Their populations have declined because of pollution, traffic in nesting areas, recreational disturbance and nest predation.

Features that make them unique Long toes and legs for mud and shallow water, slender elongated bills for probing the substrate, and mottled plumage that camouflages them. More than 200 species are estimated among resident and migratory birds. Examples: red knot, sanderling, American oystercatcher, common gulls and gannet.

What we can do Respect nesting areas, keep dogs on leads on beaches, avoid vehicles on dunes and support wetland restoration.

Colour Blindness Awareness Day

It is celebrated on the birthday of John Dalton (1766), who first described the condition he himself had. Colour blindness is a deficiency in colour perception (often in the red–green axes, sometimes blue–yellow). It is hereditary and more common in men because of its relation to the X chromosome.

How it is experienced Colours that contrast for many overlap for others. It affects daily tasks (signs, maps, charts), but it also drives inclusive designs: accessible palettes, redundant labelling (colour + shape + text) and tools such as glasses with spectral filters.

A responsible note It is a processed food with detractors for health reasons and with religious and cultural restrictions. Enjoying it in moderation and with judgement is part of the deal.

Idea for celebrating it: try a different recipe (warm salad with bacon and mustard vinaigrette; Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon; stuffed and wrapped dates).