I'd been on a week-long business trip and so was still in the air when Kev @kev07713 and our other birding friends all travelled to Lymington to see the marsh sandpiper at Normandy Marshes; it would be a lifer for almost every one of them as this species is often known as a 'one day' visitor. It is a migratory wading bird that only occasionally visits the UK, primarily during the spring and autumn migration seasons. Another bird I would dip due to a business trip I thought, just like the Wantage nighthawk.
So when I arrived at Normandy Marshes on Tuesday evening, I got a message from Kev "You are a little tinker, as you said you were busy ...". I'd slipped out of the office a little early with the marsh sandpiper reported several times through the day (showing well) and was now parked up and making my way round to the lagoon, joining a single watcher on the lower level path, camera trained. I inquired as to the bird's location only to be told that it had flown just under an hour before, and no one had been able to relocate it; although it was believed it had dropped somewhere on the other side of the lagoon. The chap I was talking to had already run a sortie and so I decided to try and see if I could locate it myself by walking the sea wall - I could see another birder on a scope scanning from halfway along the visible path. Through the scope and bins, I could see a curlew sandpiper on the tip of an island but as I considered a record shot it turned back and out of view.
I made my way round but couldn't pull out the bird. By the time I reached the turn at the far end I could see a handful of little terns fishing at distance, primarily due to the tide being out (but gradually turning). I stopped to admire these cracking birds - a year tick. The return of little terns to the UK in spring is a highly anticipated event for birders, arriving in late April to early May, marking the start of the breeding season. These birds undertake a remarkable migration from their wintering grounds in West Africa, traveling thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to reach their breeding grounds in the UK. They follow a migratory route known as the "East Atlantic Flyway," which takes them along the coastlines of Portugal, Spain, and France before reaching us. Little terns prefer nesting sites on sandy beaches, shingle banks, and salt marshes near the coast, feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates, which they catch by plunge-diving into the water from flight, often hovering above before they dive.
The little terns were then ever present and I counted a dozen on the main island in the centre of the lagoon. As I searched, I found numbers of bar-tailed godwits, and a single greenshank. Try as I might, I couldn't locate a whimbrel which I thought would be nailed on given the exposed estuary basin. A couple of grey plovers flew by.
I reached the far end of the path that allowed me to look across the far extent of the lagoon and searched for the marsh sandpiper in vain. In the end I turned back and checked that the handful of birders on the opposite side weren’t on the bird - they weren't. I started back and continued scanning regularly across the lagoon and to my left as the sea continued to rise again.
I reached about halfway back when there seemed to be some coordination in scoping of the lagoon by birders on the far edge. When I looked out, I could see the marsh sandpiper feeding with redshanks in the middle of the pool, foraging for small invertebrates and aquatic insects in the mud and shallow water - phew! It was around 160m out, but I took photos regardless just as a record - not a frame filler unfortunately. The marsh sandpiper is similar in appearance to other wading birds in the Tringa genus, such as the common and spotted redshank. It has a long, slender bill, grey-brown plumage with white underparts, and distinctive greenish legs. In flight, it shows a prominent white wing bar and white rump.
I started back and found a group of dunlins with a single sanderling, feeding before the sun set. I started the journey home and a late dinner.
Saturday arrived with forecast of intermittent rain starting from late morning and so I asked Kev if we might visit RSPB Frampton Marsh - it has a number of hides where we could shelter if the rain got heavy, and it is easy to start early before the centre opens. Kev had been earlier in the week but had dipped the red-breasted goose so perhaps that might be a nice bird to see - not a year tick as we saw one down on the Kent coast earlier in the year when visiting for the water thrush. I hadn't visited to catch up with the lesser yellowlegs this year and the had been a wood sandpiper reported the day before.
Unusually we didn't stop for breakfast, really to save time and beat the potential rain. Breakfast is always available in the Visitor's Centre and so we planned to pop there part way through the morning. We set out along the main path and before long stopped, and Kev picked out a little gull feeding on a distant pool. Off to our left I spotted a single swift, a year tick for both Kev and I. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.
Four swans approached from our right and passed the Visitor's centre where we thought they'd landed beyond; checking they were nowhere to be seen. What had caught our eye was than one was a whooper swan and reminded us of an out of season bird here previously. Perhaps we'd catch up with them later. Overhead a couple of Mediterranean gulls called and passed through.
We made our way round to the 360 Hide and on the way a reed warbler flew across the path and was another year tick for me. I was surprised that the water had been drained from one pool by the hide, but I assume there is method in this madness. It does affect the number of waders seen but perhaps has benefits later. From the hide we quickly located the swans and our whooper, soon watching two depart and one of them our bird. Scanning the islands Kev pulled out two little gulls that preening on a distant island. While I took photos they gradually worked closer and entertained on the wing. A couple of Mediterranean gulls bobbed on the water at distance, probably those that we'd seen previously.
We moved on to the Reedbed Hide and where Kev had seen a black tern on his last visit. It wasn't showing and likely had left site but we did have two sandwich terns through, but they didn't stop for their photo session. A couple dropped in and announced that they had seen the red-breasted goose on the marsh - first thing it had been reported at Freiston but appeared to have returned to this site. A black-winged stilt flew from well off to our left and I managed to get Kev and the couple on it before it dropped up the track - immediately going to sleep.
We considered going for breakfast but as we'd got this far, we decided to go up onto the sea wall and look across the marsh for the goose. Passing the stilt, it woke for about 10 seconds and then settled back with beak under wing. Hopefully the male returns and we have another season where they breed here.
Along the path we were down at a nice level to watch the avocets as they congregated on the small islands, interacting with one another. I took a few photos but probably should have spent a bit more time to get some more behavioural shots. A kingfisher cut across the water.
We continued on up to the sea wall and overlooking the marsh we could see numbers of brent geese moving around but no sign of the red-breasted goose. We worked along and out into the marsh spotting my first whimbrel of the year plus a leucistic redshank. I walked along the path and looking down into a gully spotted two kingfishers, one departing almost immediately. We continued to watch and work through the brent geese in the air and on the ground, but our goose wasn't amongst them. Eventually we decided it was time for breakfast and made our way back.
Almost at the centre we came across a birder we'd talked to earlier who alerted us that the red-breasted goose was showing well up the main track towards the sea wall. Breakfast could wait. We set off and stepped aside to allow a car to pass - in my head I thought "I hope it doesn't flush the birds". Damn ... it did and when we got to the spot, the red-breasted goose had gone. We scanned through the brent geese that has relocated but weren't able to pick out our bird. A little ringed plover dropped in front of us. We spent quite a while searching but eventually talking to a passing birder, we discovered that the bird was in a flock at the very back of the pool and viewable from the sea wall. Off we went.
We moved quickly, and I got ahead of Kev anxious to make sure of seeing it this time. A few flocks left the field and I hoped we'd not lost our chance but needn't have worried as I found it out on the marsh. It fed with a couple of dozen brent geese and after almost five minutes it was up and off - eventually relocating well out of reach.
We scanned around but didn't find a lot more of note and so we made our way back to the Visitor’s Centre and lunch - so much time had passed that we couldn't call it breakfast anymore. Almost back we stopped to watch a couple of spoonbills feeding.
Fed we made our way across the car park where we added our first yellow wagtail of the day, and a rather nice black-tailed godwit. We weren't going to stop and made our way back out of the reserve to a path leading off left. Along we went eventually coming across the lesser yellowlegs, spotted redshank and two greenshanks amongst the redshanks, dunlins, and ruff. Eventually Kev spotted the wood sandpiper on the far bank and allowed an older couple to observe through his scope. They followed us round and got some better views from the bench, and then of the wood sandpiper in the far corner.
We helped the couple get better views of the wood sandpiper before it evaporated while we were searching for yellow wagtails. Once they'd gone, we walked further down the track seeing a rather attractive redshank and handfuls of yellow wagtails. Out in the fields a hare posed for its profile picture.
We strolled back and along the track hearing a few birds including a few blackcaps but didn't spend much time seeking views. We'd had a good day, and it was time to hit the road with 72 species seen and at least another 5 heard.
Year list: 191.
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