On Thursday 26th August 2021 an adult White-tailed Lapwing (Plover) was discovered by the assistant warden at the RSPB reserve at Blacktoft Sands in Yorkshire. This was the 8th record for Britain and a first record for Yorkshire of this species which breeds in southern Russia and west to Iraq and Iran. The Iraq and Iran birds tend to be resident but the Russian population migrates south to winter in India, the Middle East and North East Africa. It is a very rare vagrant to Europe, with the first British record in 1975 at Packington in Warwickshire. A very distinctive […]
Eleven species of wader were on view at the RSPB Reserve at Blacktoft Sands this morning, including the very rare Marsh Sandpiper. The bird had been present in the area for nearly three weeks and so it was about time we came to see it. Plenty of superb Black-tailed Godwit and 18 Spotted Redshank along with 12 Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Avocet, Redshank, Dunlin, Snipe, Lapwing and Greenshank completed the wader list. A few Marsh Harrier and about a dozen Little Egret. The best I could do with the Marsh Sandpiper was a half decent digiscoped effort but at least you […]