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I just had to go again for the Wood Sandpiper at Thorney Island and, after I finished all my paperwork in the Office, I took the drive to the Pony Field and searched the stream. It was a lovely afternoon with a nice breeze and viewing conditions were good for finding another first for the year. But where was the bloody bird!?
Despite a lengthy search, there was no sign of the bird. There was plenty of wildfowl present which included several Wigeon amongst the many Teal and Mallard. A nice surprise was one of the Ospreys flying overhead. The bird flew up from the Landing Lights area and looked as though it was going to fly right over my head. Then it flew north for a while then circled and went back in the direction to where it came from. That clearly made up for the lack of Wood Sandpiper.
A fellow elderly birder then joined me, some nice chap from Pagham, and we then watched from the side of the road, so we could get a better look on the stream. Again, no sign of the Sandpiper and so I walked further up the road and stood adjacent to the Little Deeps reedbed. From here, I flushed a Green Sandpiper, which promptly disappeared into cover. Yet again, no sign of the Wood Sandpiper but I at least got another month tick with the Green Sandpiper.
Opposite the farm along Thornham Lane, the fields held a Kestrel and probably a female Merlin, which was perched on a bush. The heat haze obscured the bird though I am pretty sure it was a Merlin. The tide was out within the harbours so there wasn’t any waders of note to be seen out in the fields.
I emailed my St. Catherine’s Point sightings to the recorder for the Isle of Wight and the chap responded by emailing me that he also went there the same day, though early evening and he saw a Balearic Shearwater and a Leaches Petrel. Lucky sod!
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