I arrived at 0930 about the same time as Bill to find Jay, Ron and William at the view point with very little to report. In fact it was pretty much the same as it has been all week. The fine warm sunshine and clear skies did not help, though it did bring out the butterflies-mainly Orange Tip with a few Tortoiseshell and Green Veined Whites.
Ron decided to head off with his son and Jay to see the Ring Ousel at Cottered, which was a bit of a dilemma for me as I have not seen one yet. As they left, they saw a Hobby fly low over the track-Bill got the message but we never saw it. Jay decided to return, and as it turned out, the Ousel flew off before Ron got there.
Julie turned up, and decided to head up to Tumbling Bay with William, while the rest of us stuck it out expecting a very quiet day. Jay got a text from Sarah Harris at Rye telling him of a Whimbrel on the Draper Scrape so we went for it taking a newly arrived Simon with us.
Big problem today is that Rye Meads was having an Easter Fun Day and it was packed with stalls volunteers and visitors so we dumped the cars on the verge and rushed straight through. Derek and Sue were manning the Draper hide and Sue had the Whimbrel in her scope so we got pretty good views of it at the back of the scrape. It flew a couple of times, landing about as close as a wader can get so we managed to get good views and images before it flew off. Thought it might have gone for good but it later returned so hopefully most got to see it.
Sue was saying that in Derek's 38 years on the reserve that this was his first ever Whimbrel. Not easy to connect with in the Lea Valley even though they are regular in other parts of the county.
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