A visit to Spurn was pencilled in but the migrants had mostly cleared out. Destination changed and Blacktoft Sands was the back up plan with 2 advantages:- it was much closer and there was a mega rarity there! Craggy and I set off at dawn and by the time we arrived some point before 9am the car park was almost full. Wardens or volunteers or maybe even both were running the show and doing a great job. They directed us to the right hide and after 15-20 minutes of standing and watching the leggy beauty - a White Tailed Lapwing, the premium spot was vacated for us and we sat down. The White Tailed Lapwing went out of view but then flew across to an island. It showed it's beautiful wings then decided to take a nap. This is now the rarest bird I have seen in a British context - only 7 accepted records so far.
It was time to vacate our spot for some new arrivals. At the other wides we watched Snipe, a single Knot, Black Tailed Godwits, Ruff, Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Dunlins, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Lapwing. 2 Yellow Wagtails also fed in the muddy areas - a juvenile and an adult. Sedge Warblers also clambered down the reeds to pick up things from mud. Water Rails put in an appearance too. Other species seen of interest included Tree Sparrows and Marsh Harriers.
Blacktoft Sands is always an enjoyable experience and has a nice mix of birds present!
