Kevin Heath was tied up this weekend and so I'd suggested to my wife that perhaps we might go birding somewhere together - she seemed happy to do so but with the usual proviso that the venue should have a cafe and toilets. Having missed the curlew sandpipers the week before, RSPB Frampton Marsh fitted the bill. The start would be later than usual, so I decided to make some breakfast before we left home to save some time.
We arrived on site and made for the 360 hide directly, finding the hide busy but still a couple of seats available. We scanned the water and started to pick out the large number of ruff feeding in the shallows, followed by the emergence of a black-winged stilt to our left. Charlotte was enthused by the stilt as it is obviously quite unusual compared with the UK's usual fare, and chatted excitedly with the chap beside her. A juvenile also ventured out of the grass and reeds on the water's edge. To be fair, it is one of the best views I’ve had of this species and we watched as they fed up and down the edge, eventually the adult disappearing round a corner.
Out in the water we could see groups of black-tailed godwits, spotted redshank and greenshank resting up. Behind them again were almost 18 spoonbills, the most I have seen together here before. Out with the first group was a single curlew sandpiper - tick! It was feeding constantly but was lost when the flocks were all flushed into the sky, and it dropped somewhere out of view.
The switch around helped us as now we had three little stints feeding on a spit off to our right - still not close but a lot closer than we'd been seeing the key species until now. After quarter of an hour in dropped one, then a second, curlew sandpiper - I was now able to show Charlotte better images through the scope which she appreciated. Always hard to get enthused if you have a restricted view, especially as a non-birder.
We made our way from here along the sea wall hoping to get a glimpse of the black stork, joining a group scanning the saltmarsh (but to no avail). The stork had been seen earlier but had disappeared from view - none of those in position had seen it yet. We eventually decided it was time for lunch.
After lunch we made a last visit to the 360 hide once more but didn't add anything new or get any closer views. We finished off with a couple of spoonbills feeding near the Visitor’s Centre, as they had been on my last visit. They are stunning specimens and striking in the sun and against the water.
It had been a great day out with Charlotte - I'd be back birding with Kev the following weekend, and perhaps off to see something of note - although curlew sandpipers are nice birds, and a year tick is a year tick.
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