28 April 2024 - Hollingworth Lake, Blackstone Edge, Smithy Bridge

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Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Swift

This morning broke to constant rain so I decided to have a drive around to see if I could see anything from the car.  There wasn't much at the Lake itself, though I did see my first Snipe of the year at Akzo Pond, along with several Swallows, which have been quite thin on the ground so far.  

I drove up to Blackstone Edge Reservoir in the hope of seeing a Wheatear or something more interesting, but to no avail. However I did find a couple of Common Sandpipers along the reservoir edge and was able to photograph one perched on a stone at close range from within the car.

In the evening, the weather cleared to blue skies, and as I was sitting in the back room watching the football, I spotted a Swift flying over the house; it's not often we get them in April, so this was quite a surprise given the paucity of hirundines so far.

Common Sandpiper, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 640 (view full size image)