Marsh Sandpiper - Cliffe Pools

So, i've been reading some old posts on here from back in 2013; nothing much on here really content wise and photos are either borrowed.....erherm or taken by me. However its a great little diary of my birding and although i don't like doing it as much as i used to (the blog not the birding) i think i'll perceive, you never know i may actually find something decent one day.

For now though i'll just have to go and see other peoples finds. This time it was the turn of a Marsh Sandpiper at Cliffe Pools in Kent. A juvenile bird that's been hanging around with the Black Winged Stilts that successfully breed this year.

So on Sunday evening i head down at 6.30pm. A nice easy journey and the post code provided by RBA took me straight to the site car park. Upon arrival i asked two birders where the Sandpiper could be found and got told to head straight round this path until i get to the 2nd viewing area. So far so good. Then one of the old boys states that they were just leaving, were locals, as they had just let themselves and car out of the gate with a key. They told me that i could follow them for a bit and they would direct me to a road the in turn would take me down and un-made road and i could park right next to the viewing are and save myself 45 minutes walking. Not being one to turn down local knowledge i did indeed follow them. I did give them a look, they were both in their 90's so i felt i could take them both in a fight if they had alternate motives. To my kids - do as i say not as i do.

Anyhow, they were right on the money, i found what i thought was the viewing area and started looking, Redshank, Black Tailed Godwits, mixed Gulls including Med. A couple of Spoonbill dropped into another pool. However no Stilts, no Marsh Sandpiper.

At this point another fella turned up, Jake (Everet, i think he said). Nice guy and we both furiously looked. In the end it turned out we were at the wrong viewing mound. We both jumped in the car and made our way to the next viewing mound, which to be fair to us, was so well hidden you needed to know it was there to find it, luckily we were shown in the end.

As soon as we got set up, there in front, 7 Stilts and 1 Marsh Sandpiper - Tick Tick Boom