Monday 11 May 2015

American Visitors

News of two visitors to the scrape at Low Newton tempted me down to the coast this afternoon; when I arrived the fierce gusty westerlies and the strong sunlight from the same westerly direction reflecting off the water made viewing difficult. No sign of them- no sign of any waders!
                       But after ten minutes or so an elegant wader picked its way along the nearside edge of the scrape- the Lesser Yellowlegs. Following closely behind was a smaller darker wader with an abruptly marked cut-off point between its streaked breast and white belly- the attractive Pectoral Sandpiper. Both breed in North America but winter in South America; they are quite regularly carried across the Atlantic to our shores when wind conditions disrupt their migration. 

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