ANOTHER LAPWING ON A DIFFERENT RIVERBANK

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White-tailed Lapwing, Blacktoft Sands RSPB Reserve 27 August 2021

WELL AT LEAST MY VIEWS OF WHITE-TAILED LAPWING IN THE UK ARE STEADILY GETTING CLOSER. I reckon the range of each one has halved from a very distant flight view (Caerlaverock) to the distant through-the-fence view at Seaforth and now this, at the back of the scrape from Xerox hide at the RSPB’s Blacktoft Sands reserve. Although it spent most of its time out of sight behind the reed island I guess this added to the drama when its black-and-white wings flashed onto the stage. Alexander was competing in Sheffield today so it wasn’t much of a detour to show him somewhere special. He even endured a queue for the hide wait and then another spell waiting for a second one minute view before we left. I love Blacktoft, mostly as its always been kind to me. I’ve seen quite a few new birds here and haven’t missed anything yet on my very occasional visits since my first ever Marsh Harrier on 6 June 1981, to Hudsonian Godwit and Red-necked Phalarope in 1983, Red-necked Stint in 1986 and Montagu’s Harrier more recently. Back to the present day, once it appeared, the White-tailed Lapwing stalked the back of the very shallow muddy lagoon passing Green Sandpipers, Ruffs, Teal and Water Rails before it wandered out of view. A Spotted Redshank flew over calling, a couple of Marsh Harriers floated over the vast reedbed and a male Bearded Tit hopped around at the base of the reeds. What a nice selection of birds in a lovely setting. I’ve commented this is probably the worst-looking White-tailed Lapwing I’ve seen but it looked great from a distance today!

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Here’s how I prefer to see one, driving up to it in a field in Oman.

BLACKTOFT SANDS 30 YEARS ON

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Montagu's Harrier (adult female), Blacktoft Sands RSPB Reserve.

MONTAGU'S HARRIER WAS THE STAR OF MY RETURN TO BLACKTOFT today, only a couple of months short of 30 years since my last visit there (for Britain's first Red-necked Stint). Unfortunately only the female has been seen recently, the male having been seen last eight days ago and she was prospecting far and wide over the reserve, often way up in the sky. We hope he returns and they can breed again in safety deep inside Blacktoft's massive reed bed. Although the Monty's was today's star, when I last visited the Little Egret, which flew under it at one stage today would have been more notable! The reserve now has its own Avocet colony as well as bitterns (three) and Cetti's Warblers in addition to the Marsh Harriers and Bearded Tits, which were the reasons for our regular visits in the 80s, although the endless stream of Turtle Doves we used to see flying along the skyline here are long gone. How times have changed! Other birds here today included a couple of sparrowhawks over the reed bed and Tree Sparrows breeding in the car park.

Some extensive searching around the ELOC area produced a desired Spotted Flycatcher singing in the car park at Stocks but not much else of note in a cool northerly wind. The previous evening I had failed to find a flycatcher around Slaidburn but two whimbrels north from the walled garden at Stocks saved the show now the arctic shorebird passage has all but ended. 

ELOC year list 137. Spotted Flycatcher