Sunday 22nd May: Sanderling

An evening visit to the Meadow turned up trumps in the form of a SANDERLING in the company of four DUNLIN. There had been three reported at Farmoor today so there was clearly a small passage going on but it was great to have one turn up on the Meadow as they are comparatively rare birds for the Meadow: less than annual and certainly rarer that wood sandpipers as far as the Meadow is concerned. Apart from that there was a single YELLOW WAGTAIL and one OYSTERCATCHER which was today down by the river. There has been a gradual increase in large gulls, mostly lesser black-backed over the last week with a few dozen birds this evening.

A pretty crappy record shot of the sanderling with a couple of dunlin but I only had my bins and my point & shoot camera with me and it was dusk by the time I turned up. (c) Adam Hartley