Private tour in North Norfolk today. I had been asked about some possible target species a few days previously. With the Dotterel having reappeared at Choseley the day before, and with that being on the target list, I thought that would be a good place to start the day. If only everything was that easy! When we arrived at the field where they had been seen the previous day (and a couple of days before that), there was no sign. We searched a number of other potential fields in the area, but without success.
We then spent a productive morning at Titchwell. The highlight was a group of 10 White Wagtails behind the beach, and we had a good selection of waders and terns. After lunch, it seemed like the Dotterel were not going to reappear, so we moved on to Burnham Overy to look for migrants. We had almost reached the dunes when news came through to say that the Dotterel were back and there was no hesitation in the request that we have another go. However, to frustrate us even further, by the time we got back to Choseley, the birds seemed to have disappeared again. Just as we were starting to lose hope a second time, a couple of ‘stones’ in the field started to move in front of our eyes and, as if by magic, the Dotterel appeared. Success! And all the sweeter for having had to really work for it.
Here’s one I took earlier…. and a nice Black-tailed Godwit from Titchwell.
