Semi-P Up Close And Personal

I've been so used to checking the flock of small waders on the beach in the mornings this week - and not seeing the Semipalmated Sandpiper - that I didn't even both carrying my telescope and cameras this morning....

So when I did spy it roosting on the pebbles I had to leg it back to the car to get what I needed to do this. I warn you, there are a heck of a lot of photos!!!!

All these are taking with my trusty old Nikon Coolpix 4500 through my Kowa telecope....


And these are all taken with my hand held Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 (and most using full 18x optical zoom)....

I told you so! Loads and loads and loads of photos! God knows what the pictures would look like if I had a 'proper camera!'

There are a couple of things I think are worth mentioning from the excellent views I had of this American beauty this morning:

1/ its leg colour - viewable on most of my pictures
2/ the 'anchor marks' on some of the scaps - there aren't many and they aren't obvious!

It's a great bird - and I felt so privileged to be so close to it!!

Lastly, a bit of late news for yesterday, I got down to the Estuary just in time to see an Osprey fly south over Axmouth Bridge, and south east past Axe Cliff. Apparently later it came back though - it would be nice to think it was still here.

New Bird For The Patch

After a morning of non-birdie business off patch on Saturday, I came home to a text informing me of an 'odd Stint at BHM'. Phil had discovered it after reports of a Little Stint here earlier in the day.

I went straight down there, and was greeted with distant views of a very colour-less stint from the Island Hide, which ticked all boxes for Semipalmated Sandpiper - but with pencil and not pen. I had to leave it, but on my return late afternoon was pleased to see it much closer from the Tower Hide, and in much better light - definitely a Semi-P - a patch first!

For some reason I totally forgot to photograph it - I think because there were camera's all around me and I was too busy actually looking at it!

This afternoon I could see it poking about on the Estuary with the Dunlin flock, and despite the distance I rattled a few shots off...

Although you can't see it in these photos at all, the 'palmations' were easy to see thanks to the light and the colour of the mud

Semipalmated Sand can now go on the Axe list right besides Western Sand - which we really could do with another one of...