The end of August Bank Holiday meant that Colin and I would meet up for the first time in months and go somewhere. Often in the past it has been a gentle saunter somewhere in the Chilterns like Warburg, but we decided we would do a wader day around the Wash trying to hit the high tide roost at Snettisham, followed by something like Titchwell or Holme for early migrants. However as usual plans change at the last minute and we had a very very early start and went to Yorkshire instead.
A Greater Sandplover had been on Redcar beach for a couple of days, and with a summeringTurkestan Shrike and Roller on the way back it was a no brainer. Now we both have history with the Sandplover as 30 odd years ago one was in Blakeny Harbour and we duly went for it. Unlike the majority of birders that day who were on the landward side, we were with a small group on the point up near Half Way House. There had been negative news while we were there and it was assumed to have gone (it was seen a few days later on the south coast somewhere). However we found a small group of waders in a channel off the beach in Blakeny, there were four or five what we realised were Ringed Plovers (small sandy blobs) and another slightly bigger sandy blob which might have been the Greater Sandplover, but being several hundred yards away we couldn't be sure, and to make matters worse a dog walker flushed the lot and they flew out of view never to be seen again.
So a night time departure and a long run north to Redcar arriving a 0730 to bright but cool sunshine. A leaving birder pointed us about half a mile north west to where a small crowd had gathered and said it was showing well. Relieved I started the trudge up the beach but got a bit worried when I got close and saw them disperse with some heading back. Apparently it had flown back past me and presumably was off the small jetty, so I turned round and headed back, meeting up with Darryl Bryant and Tony Hukin.
We could see some waders feeding on the washed up weed but groups of swimmers were walking through them, and as we got close there was no sign. Lots of Sanderlings with a few Turnstones were among the Ringed Plovers and it was with relief that Darryl found the Sandplover running around close to the surf on the sand. Scope views were fantastic and the long 30 year wait was finally over. I managed to get the phone on the scope and got a few good images along with a very bad video, but as I was fumbling to get the camera set up it was off and flew back up the beach to where it was earlier.
So bird of the day was in the bag so it was off on the drive south to Bempton and the Turkestan Shrike. We arrived to be told that due to hedge cutting the day before the Shrike had not been seen all morning, so we resigned ourselves to a spell on the cliffs with the Gannets and Kittiwakes. Most of the auks had departed, though there were still one or two out at see, and it was great to see a Peregrine hunting the cliff ledges (though not for the second Kittiwake that it went for). A scan with bins picked up a distant fin break the surface and I got the scope pointed in the right direction where there were a couple of Razorbills Gannets and Kittiwakes on the sea. The fin broke again, and I started to try and work out what I was seeing. I'm reasonably familiar with some dolphins which aren't usually on their own and it obviously wasn't a Porpoise, in fact it seemed to be too big even for Bottlenose. The only option was Minke Whale, and as there was a huge pod of 80+ further up the coast at Staithes it seems a fairly safe identification.
Unfortunately that was it for the day. The Roller hadn't been seen, and a call in at Berry Fen on the way back failed to produce as it was bone dry.
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