A badly timed visit to the Shelf Moor trailer park got me there the same time as a heavy drizzle shower blown across on a near gale SW >6 gusting 7.
At least 8 Snipe were present though lying low in the strong wind. Three were in the trailer park field with the others in the juncus field which is well overgrown at the moment giving good cover. As they started to leave to head for the roost site across the road I was ready for some snaps but the wind took them past at about 100 mph so back home with an empty camera.
Two fields nearer Cross Lane held around 60 Lapwing and c200 Starling feeding in the grass along with a few small gulls.
On decent days now the Snipe will start showing in the open fields and should build up to a decent count which peaked at 48 on Dec 8th 2013.
Some of last years Snipe
BS