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| Black-tailed Godwits - hard to beat |
It's that time of year already (as if there was any intervening time to pause for breath this summer) - waders are flooding through, over both land and sea, and leaving the latter for another time soon, our modest but magnetic local freshwater reserve of Filey Dams has been the place to be over the last week.
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| Male Ruff |
Within that period, we've clocked an excellent thirteen wader species there, with each day (and sometimes each hour) bringing a changing of the guard. It all kicked off on the 24th, when an early morning session in the murk was looking quiet, until three Avocets, three Ruff and 56 Lapwing materialised from nowhere.
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| Wood Sandpiper |
Since then, we've spent an unhealthy amount of time hogging the hides, often for several sessions a day, and it's been a joy. Ruffs have peaked at seven, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers have all peaked at five (but with plenty more involved), Lapwing flocks have been almost omnipresent, with stunningly decked-out Black-tailed Godwits, increasing bands of Dunlins, plus Greenshanks Redshanks, Common Snipe, Whimbrel and Curlew all on the board.
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| Reeve |
Perhaps the best day so far was yesterday, when thunderstorms hit suddenly and hard, magically depositing a a multi-species flock - from Dunlins to Greenshanks - right in front of the hide. And it's only just begun.....
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| Avocets |
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| Male Ruff |
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| A very nice view, incorporating Greenshanks, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlins, Lapwings, Ruff.... |
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| Wood Sandpiper |
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| Green Sandpiper |
