Kev (@kev07713) and I were struggling to find any birds that could add to our year lists, at least within a reasonable distance - made more complicated by the fact that we were on the clock with appointments in the evening. A Twittter post caught our eye with a black stork being reported at last light over the RSPB Frampton Marsh saltmarsh - Rick Sinfield (@Rickysinfield1) had seen it to go down on the River Welland from the Raptor Viewpoint - he had been watching distant short eared owls. It was a long shot but there was nothing else on offer - in any case it is always a pleasure to visit RSPB Frampton, and at the very least I'd probably be able to tick curlew sandpipers.
We stopped for breakfast just a few miles short of the reserve and checked the bird news sites - no reports yet.
We arrived to find that the diversion to the reserve was still active but took only a short time to navigate. Once there we went out onto the reserve and set off along up the arterial footpath past the Reedbed and 360 hides. There were good numbers of birds, but I couldn't pull out a curlew sandpiper. There were reports of a wood sandpiper but none in view. There were however a couple of little stints, but these were very distant and very tricky to photograph. Spoonbills and spotted redshank rested with a couple of greenshanks. The hide was quite busy so after an hour of enjoying the views we decided to make for the sea wall as other birders were coming in and reporting a wood sandpiper from there.
We began climbing up onto the sea wall and as we turned to walk along, I spotted a large bird far to our left and along the river. My first thought was crane and it burst from my mouth. As soon as I raised my bins I called black stork - Kev swung around and was on the bird too. He tried to get on it with his scope but found the legs shortened from when we'd been sitting in the hide - he cursed his luck and eventually reverted to his bins. I snapped off a few photos as the bird worked its way along the treeline beyond the river, cursing that I hadn’t altered the settings from earlier. We were watching for only a couple of minutes before the bird circled a couple of times, dropping down out of sight towards the Hobhole Drain. We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time - the bird would not be reported again for the next four days. A life tick for us both!
We walked along the sea wall and soon enough came across a wood sandpiper and another little stint feeding in the shallow pools. Further along, almost at the gates and seating where you drop down to the path back to the Visitor's centre, we found another little stint. This was a bit closer, and I managed to take some record shots. Yellow wagtails flew back and forth across the sea wall from the pools to the saltmarsh and families of little ringed plover fed in the shallows
It was time to make for the Centre and lunch, aiming to get back out later to spend some time at the East Hide. We had a filled roll and then a slice of cake - all very delicious - the Centre has really come on in recent years.
Back on the reserve we picked up an out-of-season whooper swan and a lone wigeon from the Reedbed Hide, before viewing numbers of ruff and a spotted redshank feeding in the muddy pools. We arrived at the East Hide and managed to squeeze in with the other birders to watch avocets, ruff, dunlin, black-tailed godwits, little ringed plover, lapwing, spoonbills and little stint feed. Occasionally the birds were flushed by an unseen adversary, with the spoonbills showing particularly well.
After about half an hour, someone called a wood sandpiper out ahead, but in the distance, presumably picked up on a scope. Fortunately. it wasn't too long before it dropped into the pool closest to us and we all had great views. A couple talked with us and shared views through Kev's scope - they were regulars from Northants and the BCN Summer Leys reserve which we know well. It was a great way to finish our day although we never did find any curlew sandpipers.
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