Thanks to volunteer Gary for his report and photo.
It was great to hear the news that two pectoral sandpipers had turned up at Pulborough Brooks as we were only discussing their possible appearance the week before. The trouble was I was in North Wales watching choughs, but if truth be told I was not chuffed to hear the news (pun most definitely intended!).
Upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised that they were still being seen, so I just had to have a look on my first evening back (Friday) – success. They are the most frequently encountered American wader with about 10 to 100 reported each year but rarely are two seen together. There was even a juvenile knot present, that if anything is even rarer than a “pec sand” (birders just love abbreviations) at Pulborough. Knot, although very abundant on the coast, are not seen very often inland, in fact I have seen four pectoral sandpipers but only one knot at Pulborough.
Luckily for my usual stint on Tuesday, the sandpipers were still visible from Hails View. They had been joined by a ruff, a dunlin, a ringed plover and two little stints, but even in the poor light they could be identified by their rather elegant elongated shape as compared to the dumpier dunlin and the small headed and larger ruff. Unfortunately, they were disturbed by something and disappeared towards the North Brooks. Buzzard, kestrel and stonechats were then the only birds seen for some time (later in the day the little stints returned). Time to move on.
A radio message confirmed their arrival on the North Brooks, so off I went. The Hanger gave great views of the “pec sands” and to confirm ID it was possible to occasionally make out the greeny yellow legs. At least 15 snipe were also visible although a peregrine and sparrowhawk having a tussle had then melt into the vegetation for a while. Nettleys had the ruff and two male stonechats. Back at the Hanger while looking through her telescope, Anna had miraculously found a brown hairstreak butterfly in the blackthorn, and overhead a peregrine did a flypast.
To round off the day, an adder was enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine on the appropriately named adder alley.
Lovely day, great birds, butterflies, a snake – they don’t get much better.