Wood Sandpiper new for the year
A great time to catch up with Whimbrel in Lancashire. Our featured photograph shows a handful of Whimbrel that dropped in on the Mere briefly early afternoon. Approximately 30 birds came in from the South, bathed before moving off North. A little later, what we assumed to be another 14 birds also arrived. Lancashire is a traditional staging area for Whimbrel and recent years coordinated roost counts around the county have topped 1600 birds.
A Wood Sandpiper (below) arrived mid-afternoon on Woodend Marsh, new for the year. A good wader day all round with 80+ Avocet, 40 Lapwing, 10 Oystercatcher, 5+ Black-tailed Godwit, 4+ Little Ringed Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 4 Redshank, Curlew and Snipe.
At 5pm a drake Garganey was found on Woodend Marsh, new for the year.
Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, 3+ Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk today. A Raven flew over around midday.
Excellent views of Wheatear on Langley's Fields. (pic by Andy Bunting).
See previous days for a fuller species account.
