29/05/2022 Bickershaw Country Park, Leigh

White-tailed Plover: WOW....I never thought I'd see a white-tailed plover in Greater Manchester, or in Wigan no less, and definitely not 4 miles away from my front door!

Gordon Newman, local birder who regularly patches Bickershaw expertly found the bird  on the eastern side of the site on New Water Flash. By the time I arrived there were already a gaggle of local birders enjoying the local mega. 

There has been some records in the north west including Seaforth in 2010 and Leighton Moss in 2007, a very rare bird indeed. 

27/08/2021 Blacktoft Sands RSPB, East Yorkshire

White-tailed plover: A long awaited bird, living in the North West and knocking about with some Liverpool birders I have heard  many stories about the white-tailed plover that was found at Seaforth.

This was before my twitching days and was a bird I've always longed to see, but typically the day the bird was found I was booked in top photograph a wedding, and on a Thursday! My only Thursday wedding this year. 

Anyway, the couple were lovely and the wedding was stunning at one stage I was even showing the bride and groom pictures  of the bird. 

So the following morning I decided not to wait on news and go for first light arriving at the reserve just before 6am. 

I was worried to when the reserve would open, officially it opens at 9am and there was a shocking lack of information despite folk asking about the opening times following the bird being found.

But when I arrived the warden was there opening up, also there was Chris Griffin who along with his rumbling belly kept me company as the bird put on an outstanding show right in front of Townend hide. 

I was blown away by hw great tis bird is, with is extremely long bright yellow legs, and its diminutive face packing away at the mud this is a really nice bird.   

Big thanks to the RSPB warden who arrived early to open the reserve and allow us all into the hide to view the bird.