Sunday May 31

The weather was back to wet and windy this morning, though actually not too wet, and not too windy.
Dave and I were tempted back to the patch, where I noticed a Mistle Thrush on telegraph wires at Netherstead.

We decided to head for the pool and flashes, and almost got our timing right, but not quite. As we walked passed the pool the first distant scan of the flash field produced birds of interest. Two medium sized waders appeared in flight from behind one of the oak trees. To use a cricketing analogy, you have to hold your catches, and I am afraid we fumbled this one. My mistake was to decide these non-descript waders would fly off and to spend several seconds faffing about trying to get my scope off my back and set up. Dave, meanwhile, stayed on the birds and reported they had turned back and were dropping, eventually stating that they must have dropped onto the nearest flash.

Dave was sure they would turn out to be Ruff, and I had seen nothing to doubt he was right. We were certain we would find them on the flash, but depressingly all we could see was a pair of Redshank and a Little Ringed Plover. A third Redshank dropped in before flying off showing obvious white secondaries and white rump. Surely if the birds had been Redshanks we would have noticed these features.

We clung to the hope they may have landed somewhere else, but there was no sign. Could we count them? If you are not 100% sure, you have let them go, so that's what we did.

We needed to see something good to cheer us up. Two Snipe were showing at the edge of the main pool and a Little Owl flew past. Quite good. A damselfly showed well, a Banded Demoiselle.

Banded Demoiselle

Nice.

Proper compensation came from the tiny dragonfly pools where Dave pulled up and shouted "Little Egret!" As he did so the bird flew up, and happily did a brief fly-by before heading off to the north.

Little Egret

A silver lining.