With a text this morning from KM reporting another Ruff and Ringed Plover at Oxenhope showing the wader movement was getting into full swing so it was a late afternoon visit up there.
Once again the weather was atrocious for humans but good for birds with heavy drizzle in amongst torrential rain showers blown in on a WSW>6.
I managed to scope from outside the hide today which is much easier and the building sheltered most of the wind although I had to keep abandoning the watch and rush all the gear inside whilst the heaviest of the showers passed over.
There were a lot fewer gulls at the start with around 500 plus but this doubled to near on 1000 by the time I left and they were still coming in thick and fast.
A fresh batch of waders had arrived overnight with KMs Ruff working the shoreline whilst 2 Little Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin were on the ponds. On the walk back along the banking a final scope of the north shoreline produced KMs Ringed Plover.
As MC said in a text, watch for Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper in these winds, we live in hopes. Its probably 20 years ago since Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper were up there along with regular Greenshank and Green Sandpiper.
As usual with waders , the 3 Turnstones from yesterday had moved on.
c 300 LBB gull building to c600
c 200 BHG gull building to c400
14 Herring gulls inc 1 3rd summer and 1 adult Yellow Legged
2 juv Pied Wags
1ad Grey Wag
3 f Goosander
143 Lapwing
2 Little Ringed Plover
1 Ringed Plover
1 Ruff
1 Dunlin
+ usual sp.
BS