Kington is one of the highest golf courses in the country on the english/welsh border. I was playing there on friday and saw a wader on a hole appropriately named hilltop! I'm pretty sure it was either a dotterel or golden plover, both of which have been seen in the area in the past.
From the distance we saw it from it looked fairly uniformly pale brown. It sort of scurried for about ten metres then stopped and stood very upright for a few seconds before scurrying off again. When stood upright it looked just like the juvenile dotterel in the RSPB handbook but would there be juvenile ones around at the moment?
cheers
Stoat
Sorry I cant help Stoat. However, I'm sure it was a birdie, maybe an Eagle or an Albatros?
Sorry couldnt resist that.
Andrew
LOL with my standard of golf definite birdie then as there is no chance of me ever getting an eagle or albatros
This may turn out to be your bogie bird (sorry).
Does sound a sort of ploverish behaviour but I would have thought it was far too early for juveniles of Dotterel. More likely to have been one (if that's what it was) still on passage. I was in Arctic Norway last June and the females were still waiting for the males to arrive.
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Tony
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If it wasn't at least fairly brightly coloured, it is far more likely to have been a Golden Plover - although some males can be very dull, and 1st summer individuals in particular may still look very similar to juveniles (but without such well defined upperpart markings).
Definitely far too early for this years juveniles (they won't even have laid eggs yet).
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Probably a golden plover then - ta! Pretty sure I did see a pair of dotterels there almost 4 years ago to the day though. Discounted them at the time as I thought you wouldn't get them in the area but then someone else saw some there last year at about the same time. They were much more brightly coloured but wasn't sure whether one of last years young would be duller.
Cheers
Um. Just looking at Birdguides, and there is a Cream-coloured Courser on this golf course, been there since yesterday...!
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Blimey Aiki! Thanks or that. The colour looks spot on and just watched a few videos and they look very similar to the movements I saw. I so nearly took my camera but as we were forecast rain in the afternoon I didn't want to risk it!
aiki said:Um. Just looking at Birdguides, and there is a Cream-coloured Courser on this golf course, been there since yesterday...!
Sometimes the least likely option can turn out to be the most likely answer!
I would think that it is quite likely that this is the bird you saw, considering your original description and the circumstances - and no-one would have suggested this ID without a photo!
Just seen on the Hereford Ornithological Club sightings page that its been seen on the same hole where I saw it so I guess it looks very likely that is what it was! Wow is about all I can say - sorry Roy - think I might have to unverify your answer! But as you say - without a photo there's no way you could identify it
Also - sorry TeeJay too!
Just been doing a bit more searching and watching videos of them and pretty sure that it was a cream coloured courser - how rare are they in this country? Unbelievable but I've just read on one page that there are only around 20 records of them in this country.