It turned out to be a worthwhile exercise. I ended up at the north end of the Farm where all the Green and Common Sandpipers have been migrating to recently - 31 Green Sandpipers were present. After a few minutes Johnny Allan walked by on the 'good' side of the perimeter fence. After introducing myself - he knew me from various forums, messages, etc - he very kindly invited me into the Farm's inner sanctum.
He's a top man, Johnny. Certainly knows his stuff, having been a serious birder for more than 30 years. His blog (see sidebar) is always a good read, too. We ventured over to the eastern end of the scrape and using his scope, he pointed out the Wood Sandpiper (143) that had arrived on the site a couple of days ago. An excellent new bird for the list.
It also reaffirms my need for a scope. I knew the bird was there when looking through my bins, but there was no way of picking it out clearly to make a confirmed sighting. The scope showed the bird straight away, and its distintive mottled plumage compared to the Greens and Commons.
So, better start saving up.
Well done with the Wood Sandpiper, Neil, Beddington seems to be the Surrey hot-spot for that species. Certainly not a bird that is guaranteed at our local patch.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to get a scope as birding, in anywhere except woodland, is hard work without one.