Grandpiper Makes Grand Day

 Except for a five minute foray for Wheatear, it had been a couple of weeks since my last visit to WALBOC -that's not patchwatching, that's a glancing interest. Due to the length of my absence I was expecting three or four patch ticks, just catching up with the migrants that had come in since my last visi. I got that and more. No less than two patch ticks, one a first for WALBOC. What. A. Day.

The day started brilliantly, with two Grey Wags on thedeck at School Lane Farmhouse. The first on the deck birds and they would have made my day - but other stuff was around to do that.

The ticks started with Willow Warblers which were absolutely everywhere in Willow Wood. Them and Chiffys were innumerable. Soon enough I heard a nice male Blackcap singing and he ended up posing for this first class photo.

 As soon as I left the woods, filled with the sounds of warblers, there were Swallows all around at Blackmoor. Brilliant. They did pose well but my camera forgot how to focus. Again. The Airfield was covered in genuine millions of Wheatears and Skylarks. There were at least fifteen Wheatear, way more than I have ever previously seen.

However, the best was, as it should be, saved until last. I sauntered down to the Yellow Marshes, pleased with my three yearticks and checked the pond. Moorhen...Coot...Coot. That's it, as always. No...wait. What was that? A tiny shape was moving in the reeds. Is it? No, it couldn't be...Yes! A Little Grebe! Patch tick. It left the reeds just long enough to see it before it dived and was lost to view. Fantastic! Seen a couple of times on Boldermere by Gareth Lewis but not down here and certainly not by me. What an unexpected tick. I was quietly pleased with myself and offered a smile to the sky when a hirundine went overhead. Sand Martin! Quite rare round here with no sandy banks etc. Could this be any better?

Yes.

The following shot is supposed to contain a Little Grebe but I haven't found it yet so good luck.

 I was reaaly pleased, the sun was shining, my camera was working (a bit), five year ticks and a patch tick. I had nearly gone full circle and was about to pack up my bins when it happened. I was past Mippit Meadow, nearly back on the road. At this point, on the right, is a small enclosure with a metal gate, designed to contain the heaped s**t of the surrounding cows and sheep etc. There is a tiny pond (well...puddle) in front of the mound with it's own small muddy fringes. Sometimes there's a Pied Wagtail or a Mippit on the fringes and once there was a Black-headed Gull but today, for some reason, at midday on this Thursday, there was upon those muddy fringes a Green Sandpiper. My god. It erupted as I walked by and it took me a couple of seconds to register it as a wader. 'S**t, Wader!!!' I got as much on it as I could, white belly, white rump. Damn this was flying fast. It called loudly, a typical wader call. Up, up over the trees and...down? Did that bloody brilliant bird go down in the Yellow Marshes? No time to answer. I dropped my bag and ran, sprinted. Flew. My bins smashed my belly, spit flew from my mouth. I was getting there and I was taking a record shot of this bird. To cut a short story even shorter...I didn't. I got to the shore and scanned the gaps between reeds on the far side. No luck. Suddenly the Grandpiper erupted from beneath my feet! Noooooo! I could have clinched it. It flew high, circled twice and then went off way North possibly to Boldermere. This is the first ever WALBOC record of Green Sandpiper and my first true WALBOC wader. Others have had Snipe and Curlew and Gareth Lewis had a Common Sandpiper on Boldermere a year ago but this was my first - and I found it. What a bird. What a surprise. What a day. At the end of the day you just don't get waders on farmland, so you really have to savour moments like this. The photo below is of the hallowed fringes that held this beauty. Green Sandpiper. Well I never.

WALBOC Patchlist: 95

WALBOC Yearlist: 86