Plovers and Sandpipers

Golden Plover near Hurley

Golden Plover

Golden Plover

Lesser Black backed Gull

Common Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Friday 27th November 2009

Blue skies and a light breeze lifted the spirits and encouraged me to get out and 'do a bit'. First birds of the day were a flock of several hundred Golden Plover over the huge fields of winter wheat between Furnace End and Hurley. I watched the birds from the car as they wheeled above me. A quick look at Shustoke produced nothing new and Coton had only 1 Little Egret and a Kingfisher on the Fishing pond.

Along the river at Hams Hall were a Common Sandpiper and at least one Green Sandpiper along with a good number of Teal and 3 Grey Wagtails. At Ladywalk I saw a Willow tit but no sign of the Marsh tits around the feeders.

So as the end of the year fast approaches its difficult to see how my County year list will achieve respectability. The damage was done in missing what wader passage there may have been. With no Whimbrel, Sanderling, Wood Sand. or even Little Stint you're never going to get much of a total. A cold snap could yet bring in a Glaucous Gull or a Long tailed Duck but time is running out fast.