Common Sandpiper
Good to get Black Headed gull back on the move.
With the days jobs caught up to and 1 hour to spare at 1600 hrs the cloud had come down and heavy rain starting causing a little voice in my head to say " get to a reservoir quick " so at 1610 hrs I was stood , once again in torrential rain, at the passerine alley watchpoint, Ogden.
Not perfect for the birder but for me excellent conditions for reservoir watching. One of those evenings where anything can happen and local birding history can be made.
You soon get to ignore the weird look you get from the one or two dog walkers passing thinking , what a sad man.
Anyway, I,m in second heaven when I,m stood waiting for the unexpected so who cares.
A check around the water hoping for Scoter produced 1m Goosander, 1m Tufted, 14 Canadas and the usual Mallards.
The first thing of interest was a Black Headed gull picked up on the shoreline and a scan round soon found another 3 which is good for this time of year and showing some dispersion is starting.
Shortly after , BH gulls started coming over >N skimming the water and acting very Tern like dropping into the reservoir before moving off again.
Checking them out for Terns was,nt easy through dripping wet , steamed up bins but they all checked out as gulls. Around 30 went over in 15 minutes followed by a single Oystercatcher.
Next bit of excitement was a small brown bird fast and low over the water just beyond the centre so after a quick wipe of the bins I managed to get it as a wader but it disappeared around the promenade area. Suspecting Common sandpiper but not certain it was hot foot it down towards the prom.
A check in the duck feeding area and then along the cobbles below the prom produced nothing , as did a scan down in the sluice gate area.
With hopes fading and the rain coming down in stair rods I walked on to check out the overflow area when suddenly I spotted a movement on the cobbles near the tower and a check with the bins proved Common Sand.
Up to now I,d been using the bridge camera but rain or no rain this was a job for Bertha which was dismantled in my rucksack, I was,nt going through all this and coming away without a photo.
A few snaps later I came away leaving the bird in peace satisfied that once again my soaking had been worth it.
Just think, all this writing just for a Common Sandpiper, imaging how much you,d have had to read if it had been a Pectoral Sandpiper!
BS