It was trickier than usual to settle on a birding location this time, with the lure of a spotted sandpiper in the mix. While it would be a lifer for me, Kev had already seen the individual that turned up at Upton Warren in June 2023. That sighting drew quite a bit of attention, given how rare the species is in the UK - an event I’ve tried hard to forget, having failed to visit myself. The only saving grace is that although they are rare, they are regular.
Fortunately, it is all about me - Kev agreed to humour me. We arrived and decided to make our way round to the north end of Grafham Water, parking on the grass verge as the car park by the Visitor Centre doesn't open until 9.30/10.00am. Grafham Water is England's third-largest reservoir and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The western end of the reservoir is managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Northamptonshire. The bird had been frequenting this area and been showing fantastically well.
I was especially keen as the bird was in breeding plumage where it has bold black spots on the underparts, the only sandpiper with this - out of breeding plumage it lacks the spots, and with plain underparts can resemble a common sandpiper - in fact the two are considered sister species.
They breed across North America, from Alaska and Canada to the northern U.S., migrating to winter in Central and South America. UK sightings often coincide with post-breeding dispersal or storm-driven drift across the Atlantic - usually there are 1–5 birds per year, though some years may have none - the estimated total UK records are circa 250–300.
We reached the concrete dam wall and met three birders coming the other way who confirmed the bird was still present. As we approached, we spotted it alongside three common sandpipers, which, as it turned out, wasn’t ideal. Earlier, the spotted sandpiper had been showing well, but now that it had joined the common sandpipers, it had become much more flighty, mirroring their skittish behaviour.
As we edged closer, the group took off, heading toward the valve tower, with the Spotted Sandpiper second in the formation. Kev decided to stay put, content to watch through his scope, while I made my way around to the valve tower for another attempt.
By the time I arrived, the bird had already been flushed further along the shoreline, and as I followed, birders inadvertently pushed it on again. Eventually, I caught up with the group and managed to get a decent view and a few photos before they took off once more. We relocated them right at the end of the concrete dam wall, almost exactly where Kev and I had originally planned to park but before long, they were gone again, heading back up the reservoir. I followed, and each time I approached, they flushed further along. I passed the valve tower and watched as the four amigos headed well out across the water. Kev later told me the spotted sandpiper had peeled away from the group and flown over to the grassy edge near Plummer Park Car Park on the southern shore.
I made my way back to Kev, who was waiting patiently on the far shore. While I’d been off chasing the bird, he’d picked up dunlin and a sanderling, plus had scoped some nice views of the spotted sandpiper. We’d already agreed that once this target was in the bag, we’d head over to RSPB Ouse Fen for the great reed warbler. It’s a cracking site that nearly always throws up something interesting, and the warbler itself is a real treat, especially when it's in full song.
The song of the great reed warbler is one of the loudest and most distinctive among European warblers, often described as "mechanical" or "machine-like"; a common description might be "KRAAK-kraak-kraak tik tik tik churrr churrr chack chack chack" - a mix of grating croaks, buzzes, clicks, and flute-like notes. The song, performed by males to defend territory and attract a mate, will sadly go unanswered, just as it has in recent years - this is a returning bird. Typically, the song is delivered from tall reeds, especially during the spring and early summer months.
We arrived at RSPB Ouse Fen and made our way round to where groups of people were gathered, apparently a pair of red-footed falcons were feeding above a distant wood. We saw four bitterns wheeling in the sky to the left of the woods and I took a record shot. It wouldn't be the last bittern we saw but all would be quite distant.
We spent time watching the red-footed falcons feeding with a handful of hobbies. Unfortunately, the red-foots were always too distant for a photo but we had some good views through the scopes, particularly of the female.
We reluctantly pulled ourselves away and set off in search of the warbler, hearing its song well before we caught sight of it. At first, it was visible but mostly hidden behind the dense reeds. Before long, though, gusts of wind parted the stems just enough to give us a partial but satisfying view of the bird.
We were debating our next move when news came through that two wood sandpipers had been reported at Wildlife BCN Summer Leys, almost directly on our route home. Wood sandpipers are scarce but regular passage migrants in the UK, with a few hundred individuals typically recorded each year. These elegant, medium-sized waders breed in northern Europe and Asia, using the UK as a stopover during their spring and autumn migrations.
It felt like the perfect opportunity to add one to our year lists, so we headed there. On arrival, a birder mentioned that one of the birds had seemingly flown off earlier, and the other hadn’t been seen for about an hour - not exactly encouraging.
We made our way to the Pioneer Hide overlooking the scrape, and before long, we had a wood sandpiper in view. Hoping for a closer look, we moved to the Paul Britten (Double Decker) Hide and relocated the bird.
At first, it was picking its way through short reeds, partially obscured, but eventually it stepped out into the open long enough for us to grab a few record shots.
There were large numbers of redshanks around, including a male that was displaying to a female - quite a racket! A few little ringed plovers darted around the scrape and three yellow wagtails dropped in.
We had heard the call of a cuckoo for much of the time we were there and eventually we picked it out, perched high in a distant tree. Not long after we were treated to swifts and hobbies darting across the scrape in search of flies and dragonflies - most entertaining.
After we'd had our fill, we followed the track around to see if we could get a better view of the terns fishing at the far end of the main water body. We were quietly hoping for a late Arctic or perhaps a black tern, but all the birds on show appeared to be commons.
Glancing back from near the feeding station, we noticed a commotion - plenty of Redshanks dashing about, and a couple of little ringed plovers tucked in among them. Then, out of nowhere, a handful of birds dropped in, and to our surprise, we realised there were now three wood sandpipers foraging together.
We had a look on Mary's Lake but found the same birds present. We made our way back to the car and home - there seem to be quite a few red-footed falcons in the country - maybe we will catch up with another and get better views?
Year list: 198.
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