Spotted Sandpiper: Great find my Simon Warford, a top bloke to regularly patches Elton res. This was the third spot sand there is at the moment in the north west, with one in Cumbria and one turning up today in Cheshire.
These distinctive shorebirds have bold, dark spots on their undersides during the breeding season., but during the winter months they lose most of their spots. So having a nice summer plumage bird is a real treat.
Common Sandpiper: The spot sand gave us the runaround, having disappeared just as I arrived (typically) and it took awhile to relocate it and even longer to wait before it came closer.
The bird was associating with a couple of common sandpiper feeding along the western sore line of the reservoir. Some spot sands migrate short distances to the southern United States and Pacific Coast, but others travel as far as South America so to have this vagrant turn up in Bury is a big thing.
It a bit of patience I managed to allow this common sand to approach me giving me a rare chance to get some point blank pictures.
There were a few locals with dogs wading into the water and flushing everything along the shore, but in time they would return.
Turnstone: Another great bird was this turnstone, usually they are found singly or in small groups along the coastline and only occasionally inland.
Ringed Plover: Elton res was also playing host to a small flock of dunlin, turnstone, little ringed and ringed plovers as well as common sandpiper.
It's a really nice time to go, not only to see the waders but there were also a ton of common swift feeding above the water.
