OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS !

It finally looks like we are comming into some Autumn passage at last! Saturday affternoon a message came up on the pager- Buff Brested Sandpiper at Frodsham, so I sent a text around to The Clams, Tom & Tony and arranged to pick them up at 6am on Sunday Morning. Clampervan Clam is absent as he is currently Birding in Polland for four weeks (Lucky bugger).

We arrived at Frodsham at 8am and walked down to Tank number 6 where the bird was last seen, there was a group of about 10 ten Birders there but no sign of the Buff Breast!
We set up our scopes and started scanning through the large group of Black Tailed Godwitts out on the tank, only Dunlin in with them.

For the next two hours we scanned the tank, large numbers of Dunlin , Ringed Plovers, Redshank and Shellduck. There was also 2 Ruddy Shelduck present, one of them looked like a hybrid but they are plastic anyway, but at least they brightened things up for a while.

Another half an hour passed and it looks like we are going to have to sit this one out when the pager rang out - message saying the Buff Breast was on the far side of the tank with a Little Stint but was flushed!

Then a group of about 20 small waders flew in aross the tank and landed in with the Gotwitts in front of us.We immediately started scaning through the new arrivals, when Olly Clam picked up a Little Stint! which was promising as the Buff Breast was reported with a Stint.

Then Bearded Clam said I got it ! We got our scopes onto it and there it was - SEE IT BANG- It was just at the back of the Godwitts preening. We watched it for about five mins untill the bird decided to fly over to the right and out of view.

                                                         Photo curtsey of Phil Woollen    

We stuck around for another hour hopping the bird would return, but when a Peregrine Falcon came speeding across the tank all the Waders got up and flew off towards the Weaver not to return!

With our bellies rumbleing we decided to move on and get fed and decide where to go next.

                                    Another migrant resently landed in from Canada (Tom Clam)

All fed we decided to head over to Wellbeck in Notts and look for some Honey Buzzards, after a stunning drive over the Pennines we arrived at Wellbeck Raptor watch site, there was only three birders looking and they informed us that they had been there for five hours and had no luck.

We stayed for about 2 hours, we had a single Osprey perform for us and about 6 Common Buzzard but no Honey Buzzards so we called it a day and headed home!

A great day and the target bird acquired!

Clamtastic !!