Frustrating Phalarope

With plenty of Grey Phalaropes turning up at inland locations over the last day or two, I was feeling the need to check there wasn't one at Collingham, but hadn't been able to get out until tonight. Having scanned Ferry Lane Lake a couple of times, I had resigned myself to the inevitable - there wasn't one. Hey ho. But there were a few gulls, and one of them was an adult Yellow-leg, my first of the year here. So not a complete waste of time.

Having photographed the gull, I was having another look at it when something flew west through my field of view, close to the water... a Grey Phal! I tracked it for a few seconds, but it was sufficiently close to shore that I soon lost it behind the willows which are growing up on the bank. Goddam! It was heading towards the south-west corner of the pit, but in a quick half-hour search (before having to get home to do the little one's bedtime) I couldn't relocate it - although there were two Garganey with a group of Shoveler. Tom Malarkey had a look later and couldn't find it either, although I find it hard to believe it left the site heading into a strong headwind.... so worth a look early tomorrow (although I wouldn't be surprised if it/one was found on Phase 3 at Langford!). 

Missing Lincs

Last time I went bird seeking on the Lincs coast was last Autumn. Despite the rather unpromising forecast, I had already decided to take today off work and head over there. Starting out from Sea View Farm at Saltfleet, I birded north, and then back south past Rimac and as far as South Bank Farm. There were lots of House Martins, and lesser numbers of Swallows around, but common migrants were thin on the ground, with a smatter of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests and small numbers of Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Blackcap. More notable were a single Turtle Dove which flew north, and a young Gropper north of Sea View Farm. I almost stood on the latter, and after flushing it out of some long grass it sat up in some sea buckthorn, allowing me to confirm that it was indeed a Gropper, and not anything more notable... A party of 7 Whinchats were the only other birds of note. 

Giving up after 5 hours in the field, I started home, taking a short detour via Manby Flash near Louth - somewhere I've never been before. A Pec Sand had been found shortly before, and this was showing well on the exposed mud with 11 Ruff and a young Black-wit. 

American double

When asked on Saturday by a non-birding friend about the 'bird in Norfolk which was the first one ever the be seen in Britain', which turned out to the the Stilt Sandpiper in Lincs, I decided I really ought to go and see it. So having received the necessary clearance, I was up at 5am on Sunday, and had seen the bird by 7am, along with its compatriot, the Long-billed Dowitcher - indeed, both were feeding together at one point, which was quite a sight. 

So well worth the effort. And actually, it wasn't much effort at all - Frampton is barely over an hour from home. I clocked up 21 species of wader without too much trouble (including several Curlew Sands), there were scores of hirundines over the site first thing, and the saltings were hooching with Yellow Wagtails, feeding around the cattle. I guess if I wanted to go somewhere close to home and have a realistic chance of finding something good, then this has got to be the best option, so why don't I come here more often? Something to factor in for next year... 

Having seen the two main draws, I had a walk down the Witham bank to the Wash. There are hawthorn bushes dotted along here, but save for two Goldcrests and a Robin they were birdless on this occasion...