Bloody typical!

Wood Sandpiper, Conwy RSPB

Curlew, Conwy RSPB

Sheena is a punk rocker.....juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden. A dodgy photo taken on a rainy day through two windows.

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In my last posting I stupidly ventured my opinions on the departures of local Yellow Wagtails and Oystercatchers. The next day John Tymon kindly sent me a photo of a Yellow Wag taken at HGF and then while sitting down to dinner that evening an Oystercatcher flew over the garden. Bloody typical! That will teach me to open my gob - probably won't stop me though!!!

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I have a slightly interesting tale to tell regarding the recent Terek Sandpiper on the Wirral. Having joinded the 100 or so birders lined up at high tide to scan the salt marsh, the word came down the line (me being at the bottom end) that the bird had been seen in the middle of the grass with a large bunch of Redshanks. While everyone was scanning that area, I was idly sifting through a small string of waders approx 100 yds away and that were directly opposite me.

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I noticed an unusual wader approx two thirds the size of the adjacent Redshanks and began to take an interest. The bird had greyish/brown upper plumage, bright yellow legs and like a Common Sandpiper had a bit of a whitish patch between the carpal point on the wings and the breast side, though not as extensive as a Common Sand. Trouble was I couldn't see the bill because the bird was constantly preening. The other issue I had was that, never having seen a Terek before and in my rush to get there having neglecting a gen up on the species, I couldn't remember key ID points except for the bill. Eventually I got a brief flash of the bill - it was long and upcurved. Surely this was the Terek Sandpiper? At this point I decided a second opinion was required, turned to the guy next to me to find him otherwise occupied and when I then turned back to the site just seconds later, the bird was gone!

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I decided to keep quiet at that point and fortunately everyon present got reasonable views of the bird on mud flats when the tide turned. Back at home though I studied more photos of this species and I am now absolutely certain I was watching the Terek at that point. Plenty of other birds around too with a very white leucistic Redshank, a Whimbrel, at least 800 Curlews and 13 Little Egrets.

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While working in N Wales this week I managed to escape for a few minutes and connect with the Wood Sandpiper there - my third of the year. Common Sandpiper, Blackwits, Little Egrets and over 400 Curlews on the estuary completed the ensemble. In the garden the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker is visiting regularly. At HGF a single Common Sandpiper is the only wader in the last few days. The water fowl numbers keep fluctuating - the BNG's went up to four and back down to two this morning while the Little Grebe numbers did exactly the opposite. A juvenile Yellow Wagtail was having a tiff with a juvenile Pied Wag yesterday - this morning male and female Yellow Wags were flitting near Midhops while a Corn Bunting called nearby. On the way to work this morning three Yellow Wags flew over Holcroft Hall Lane while Karen nearly ran over six Grey Partridges in Waterworks Lane!

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Oh and it's bloody wet, cold and windy!