With few notable sightings nearby on Friday, Kev@kev07713 and I decided to head to RSPB Middleton Lakes on Saturday morning to try our luck at spotting the pectoral sandpiper that had been reported several times. We also learned that Kev’s sister @hobbylovinglife and her partner in crime, Dean @worlebirder, were planning to visit as well, making the trip all the way from Weston-super-Mare. We stopped for breakfast on the way, were on site before 7.30am, and set off to see if we could locate the bird before Karen and Dean arrived. We chatted to a local birder and walked with him to the West Scrape where we stopped to scan across to Jubilee Wetlands South. No sign of our bird.
We kept scanning the area, but with no sign of the bird, Kev and I decided to split up—Kev covering the west side of the pool while I checked Jubilee South. I spoke with some passing birders who showed me the spot where the pectoral sandpiper had been frequently seen, though it wasn’t there now. After a little while, Karen and Dean arrived, and I pointed out Kev’s location - together, we continued our vigil.
We could see a few birds around the edges of the pools including a juvenile water rail - it worked along feeding constantly, but distant.
We noticed a large group of lapwings on the island in front of us and thought our bird might be roosting among them. A couple more birders joined us, and I recognised one as Simon Bradfield @SimonBradfield - I hadn’t seen him since we were watching short-eared owls in the Cotswolds earlier this year. He’d crossed paths with Dean and Karen in the meantime, but had never met Kev in person, though they follow each other on X. With plenty of eyes on the spot, Kev moved ahead to try a different angle but ended up missing a flyby sparrowhawk that spooked many of the birds, including the lapwings. Unfortunately, the shuffle didn’t reveal our target.
In the distance we could see two hobbies, hunting high mostly but occasionally dropping down to the reed bed. Hobbies typically leave the UK in late September to early October, migrating to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara where they spend the colder months before returning in late April/May for the breeding season.
I caught up with Kev just as a black-tailed godwit flew from the pool in front of him, only to settle back at the spot I had just left. We continued our search until Karen and Dean decided to do a circuit of the reserve, and we headed back to the screen by the West Scrape. Along the way, Karen and Dean spotted one of the hobbies on the ground — a rare sight — and we also saw a yellow wagtail. When they were on the opposite end of the reed bed we took photos of each other. Kev and I keep remarking that each yellow wagtail we see might be the last of the year, yet they keep appearing.
As time went by, the pectoral sandpiper remained elusive — unlikely to be around, given the number of eyes scanning the reserve. After having lunch at Middleton Hall, we decided to head to Earlswood Reservoir, where a Tundra bean goose (an adult of "unknown origin") had been showing well. About a minute from the car park, a Birdguides update came through, reporting that the bean goose had just been spotted in the fields above Upper Bittell Reservoir. We changed course and headed there instead. On arrival we split up with Karen and Dean making for the fields while Kev and I went to check that the bird hadn't relocated to the reservoir.
Tundra bean geese are winter visitors to the UK, arriving from late autumn to early winter, primarily seen in eastern England and Scotland - less common in the West Midlands!, migrating from their breeding grounds in Siberia. This bird has been around this region for a couple of years.
We reached the reservoir and after a few minutes Kev spotted our bird through his scope, preening on the far edge of the water (perhaps 500m away). We called Karen and Dean only to hear that they also had the bird in their scope from the hillside.
Kev had evening visitors on the way, so we sent our best wishes to Karen and Dean and headed home. A few days later, the pectoral sandpiper resurfaced at Belvide Reservoir, a members-only reserve managed by the West Midlands Bird Club, located northwest of Birmingham near Wolverhampton.
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