NDC - Wood Sandpiper

It was Louise's minor Op' today which meant a 5am rise. We were at Castle Hill for 7. I left at 9 and returned home...to bed!

After lunch a message from Duncan Bye alerted me to a Wood Sandpiper at NDC...a potential tick! He'd also seen Greenshank, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers. A pair of Garganey had also been seen in the morning. It was going to be earl evening when I would pick her up, so it was worth a try. I arrived at 'Duff around 4pm and made my way down to Garganey Hide. The problem is that the hide has a low trajectory giving poor views over the ever rising vegetation. I figured Duncan must have had access to other areas than the hides. He had. When I messaged him he told me he'd driven the "bund" in Craig Ralston's Landrover!

I knew the area that the waders would be in but the views were limited to say the least. I trained my scope on the area and bumped up the zoom until the haze became to much. A Greenshank...then two!! Obviously encouraging. I wasn't expecting to see the Plovers BUT maybe I'd get lucky with the Sandpiper.

Birds came and went in flight across my view. Then a slim, long-necked wader flew a short distance in my view...a Redshank?

Similar shape...BUT...pale underwing but no white trailing edge and a white-rump! I'll take that. Wood Sandpiper (NDC Life 157)...