Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Curlew Sandpiper, Nene Washes


Curlew Sandpipers have become particularly scarce among our scarce passage waders around Peterborough. Spring birds with a bit of the lovely red underpart colour are particular rare. This is the first in spring I have seen since a bird also found on the Nene Washes by the same finder, Jonathan Taylor, in May 2008. My last in the PBC before sunday was a juvenile at Maxey Pits in Spetember 2008.
This rather short-billed individual was on an isolated strip of mud in the flood near Morton's Leam, halfway between Eldernell and March Farmers. During Sunday, this little patch had 14 Whimbrels, 3 Greenshanks, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit (female), 2 Avocets, 2 Dunlin and 4 Wheatears.
That takes the PBC year list to 166, with 35 'elites'.

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