Lots of waders but not the right ones....

I've not been out twitching since Albert, partly with other things to do and partly because of the Summer doldrums. In August the number of rare birds drops before the Autumn migration gets going. With minimal interest in building a year list I've not been dodging around to get year ticks. Still, a nice day and the promise of a few good birds did get me out at 5.15 to drive to the Suffolk coast to Minsmere. Always a top reserve and lots to see. There had been both a pectoral and white-rumped sandpiper on show for a few days. Not really rare birds but nice to see although the lack of pictures on t'internet suggested, as can often happen there, that they were "distant".The morning got off to a bad start as I got into the car park and realised that I had forgotten the bag with my coffee and sandwiches in it. Not even a bottle of water for my breakfast which was, to say the least, a bit disappointing. The cafe didn't even open for another two hours so there was nothing to be done. I grabbed up my gear and headed off to the East hide. This has the advantage of being large, two storeys in height to give good views over the scrape, and having the sun behind you so the views are good. There were 5 or 6 other birders already in the hide, normal for here early doors as it attracts a number of locals. 

 It seemed quite busy with birds, a lot of gulls either loafing around or flying up when they got disturbed.

Minsmere also has good numbers of terns. They have finished nesting now but the youngsters and adults were still around, flying out to sea to fish or squabbling with other on the scrape.

Harder to pick out from their more common cousins were around half a a dozen juvenile little gulls. They ranged from the very young with their smart black-and-white colouration (yes this is cropped to death!)to near-adults showing off their diagnostic black underwings.

The  number of waders seemed to be quite low compared to sometimes I've been here and most of them were way back. It was clear that both the star birds were absent. Over about three hours in the hide, with a changing presence of birders scanning all corners we couldn't find any sign. 

We were kept amused though by a few ruff which came close enough to warrant having their photograph taken (or at least kept!).

They are extremely variable in both plumage and size (male ruff being noticeably larger than female reeve). As the day went on the number of non-birders in the hide grew so we were doing quite well on the education front as well. Surprisingly there wasn't an RSPB person in the hide so us "amateurs" had to take on the role of pointing out things of interest to less-knowledgeable visitors. All seemed very pleased to have things pointed out and explained.

Mnismere is always good for spotted redshank at this time of year. These are close cousins of the common redshank but have a more rangy look and a sharp, dagger-like bill. In breeding plumage they are unmistakeable, being black with white dots. The only one like was keeping well to the back of the scrape although three or four non-breeding birds did come into range.

You can see their more orange-than-red legs, that long, thin bill and a smart stripe over their eye. They also have a more grey than brown colouration and tend to be in a bit deeper water but that can be very variable!

The most numerous waders were black-tailed godwits 

and the iconic avocets.  I remember visiting in the 1970's with my parents and seeing them for the first time, when they were still pretty rare. They are still lovely to see although they now have colonised most of the south and east coast and breed in large numbers.

Again mostly distant were both ringed and little-ringed plovers. Quite a few were juveniles so they had obviously had a good breeding season.

The only wader to come very close was a common sandpiper, on the closest island to the hide. To be picky, it was shame that most of the photos are looking down on it rather than nicer eye-level shots but it did put on a good show, even if it was only a common!

Most of the ducks were in eclipse and a uniform brown! Minsmere does have a population of feral barnacle geese. True wild birds only really exist in Scotland, especially during Summer, but there are a  number of groups like these which, having escaped from collections, have decided it is quite nice down here! This pair had raised a good brood the year.

By 11.30 I was getting pretty hungry and thirsty as I'd still had no coffee or tea! I walked round to the west hide where the pectoral sandpiper had been reported. This is opposite where I had been all morning, but the two scrapes are not visible from both hides. The west hide is awful in the morning as you are looking straight into the sun. I could see waders but they were silhouettes and you couldn't with any certainty ID them. I didn't last long and headed for the cafe where a cup of tea and a sausage butty revived me. 

As ever at Minsmere a really nice day even if I didn't manage to connect with my two targets. A quick stop at the fish shop on the way home to load up with supplies and I was home by 3.30 for another cup of tea!