Numbers of birds were well down on a couple of weeks ago, but we estimated that there were still well over three thousand birds present. Some of the same individuals that I saw on April 6-7th were still around, such as the Little Stint, one of the Dunlin and both Sanderlings.
Most of the remaining sand plovers seemed to be non-breeders.
The Little Stint (front right) was among the very few Red-neckeds remaining.
Simon gets his bird! Fortunately the Nordmann's Greenshanks saved the day, with 12 being present.
Birds of a feather...! The zoning of related species was very evident - Whimbrels and godwits in one group, Curlew Sandpipers in another, and Great and Red Knot in a third.
There were a number of 'phaeopus' race type Whimbrel (with white back and underwing coverts) among the predominant 'variegatus' birds. Here's one (upper near bird).
A Gull-billed Tern flies overhead toward dusk.
Just before dark we went to look at the second ashpond, which I had not visited before. Having seen no Terek Sandpipers on the main pond, we were surprised to find over 500 here, as well as good numbers of Redshanks and smaller calidrids. A place to check in the future clearly!
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