29 July 2023 - Edderthorpe Flash & Blacktoft Sands

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Black-winged Stilts, Great White & Little Egrets, Spoonbills, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Green Sandpipers, Ruff, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Tree Sparrow

Had a great day out with the Lake birding crew to Yorkshire. First stop was Edderthorpe Flash (Dearne Valley RSPB) where a pair of Black-winged Stilts had bred and raised three young. We were viewing from some distance but saw all five birds; two adults and three young. Also here was a Great Egret and several Little Egrets. Suddenly Steve spotted four birds in flight which proved to be Spoonbills. They landed for a minute or so, mostly out of view, then took off again and disappeared over the trees.

With little else of note appearing on the alerts, we decided to head for Blacktoft. When we arrived, there had been a Curlew Sandpiper visible from the Marshland hide, so on arrival we headed straight there, where we had decent views of the Curlew Sandpiper, still in partial summer plumage, as well as several Spotted Redshank, some also sporting partial summer plumage. A couple of Ruff were present, along with the usual Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks.

From the Townend hide (if I recall correctly), we watched four or five Green Sandpipers, and in one hide (I can't recall which) we had a Wall Brown butterfly. Several Marsh Harriers quartered the marshes, rarely coming very close, and a couple of Tree Sparrows finally gave themselves up near the reception area.

Eventually we wandered back to the Marshland hide, where all the previous birds were still present, along with a Greenshank. Suddenly a juvenile Peregrine appeared and apart from flushing all the waders, had a bit of an aerial tussle with one of the Marsh Harriers before disappearing.

Black-winged Stilt , 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 160