Thursday 21 August 2008 - Coombe Hill Meadows - 21/08/08

Thursday 21st August 2008

Coombe Hill Meadows, Gloucestershire

Bleeding typical!  Just as I was stripping off out of my work attire and into my birding fatigues in the car park a pager message came through to say that the adult STILT SANDPIPER had just flown off high to the south.  Gutted!  Never mind, there was still a chance that it could come back so I made my way down to the Gunton Hide knowing that I could be in for a long wait.  Mud Warning:  Due to yet another typical British summer, the track leading down to the hide is nothing short of a quagmire, you could get away with a stout pair of walking boots but wellies would be better.  Despite waiting until dusk and being the last birder off the reserve the bird never returned to the scrapes to roost.  I must admit though that I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this excellent little reserve, hats off to the Gloustershire Wildlife Trust (and no doubt their team of volunteers) for helping create a marvelous place for local wildlife and the odd rarity of course.  Consolation birds included a juvenile Wood Sandpiper, 9 Green Sandpipers, 6 Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, a Commion Snipe, a Curlew, 3 Little Egrets, a Kingfisher and a juvenile Northern Wheatear.  The tracks down to the hide were also teaming with all the common Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat was heard calling.