It's been interesting keeping tabs on the waders appearing at the mere over the last week, and though numbers are very low, the variety and turnover has been interesting. Dunlin have been the most regular, with birds present on every visit, and individuals even being replaced during a visit, a lone adult a few nights ago had been replaced 30 minutes later by a juvenile. Green sandpipers have been the next most regular, likely the same bird but who knows. A Lapwing last week stopped off had a peck around and as many of the waders do moved on. Last night a pair of dunlin got very vocal as a group of their brethren flew over calling back but not bothering to stop.
There was a big hatch of black ants tonight and it might have been the reason there was the biggest number and variety so far. 12 redshank at first, reduced to 7 fairly quickly, and then 2 more appeared, finishing on 9, all eventually leaving heading towards Skokholm later. 7 dunlin remained in a tight group scurrying around, 2 Black-tailed godwit stayed for 20 minutes had a bathe and a preen and were off, a ruff left with the redshank, at least one Green sandpiper but I had the feeling there were 2, one has been regularly seen or heard in the ditch by the barb-wire gate as it was this evening and what was likely another was calling at the western end a little later, with one of them obligingly putting in an appearance on the main scrape. The hightlight was a Wood sandpiper which kept itself to itself occasionally pally-ing up with the Green sandpiper. What's going to appear next.
200-300 large gulls, mostly LBBs, Herrings and a couple of GBB, have been ever present around the mere and Trehills fields, with most coming in for a bathe included an adult Med gull last night and one of Skokholms towering youngsters W:488.
Follow up: Popped down Wednesday evening, only wader was the Wood sandpiper tonight.