Wood Sandpiper - A Rare Find

Blackstone Edge and White Holme Reservoirs.

Another free afternoon , so I decided to have a run out to White Holme Reservoir.

It's a long car journey and then a bit of hike to the reservoir, where sometimes you don't see much at all - like today.

A look at Blackstone Edge Reservoir from the 'undulating M1 motorway' on the way, revealed 3 Wheatear, a few Pied Wagtail and a few Meadow Pipit.

The hike to White Holme was accompanied by light drizzle which packed in eventually and the outing turned out to be very hot and humid.

I did the usual half circuit of White Holme then sat a good while and had a snack and a drink.

I did not ID one bird here, although some 'white shapes' on the far north shore could have been birds (or rocks).

A bit downhearted I trudged back with a few more Meadow Pipits for company.

Arriving back at Blackstone Reservoir I jumped down onto the sandy shoreline and immediately flushed what I thought was a Common Sandpiper - a few quick photos and then a more careful look told me that Common it wasn't.

To be honest I know Common Sandpiper and I had seen Green Sandpiper at Ogden just a few days ago but I did not want to look a burke by  putting out on the grapevine  a Wood Sandpiper if it wasn't!

I posted a photo on the grapevine and DJB immediately replied with 'Wood Sand'.

So a real booster at Blackstone after a very poor White Holme.

I was hanging on for DJB / LNK to arrive, hoping the bird would stay put when MC turned up.

That's 3 local Sandpiper species in recent days - pretty mega for me.

A long journey home via the Sowerby Bridge car park at rush hour was a small price to pay.

Birds:-

Wood Sandpiper.

3 Wheatear, Many Meadow Pipits, eventually.

Grey Wagtail.

Pied Wagtail.