Duncan rang while I was walking Luna to say he'd sent me a pic of a bird he had seen on the Pool at Wheldrake Ings, that he thought might be a Pectoral Sandpiper. I opened Whatsapp and sure enough, an image of a Pec Sand presented itself. Nice one Dunc! I shot home, grabbed my gear and headed over to Wheldrake. Despite the heavy gear swinging round my neck, I just about managed to run most of the mile or so down to the Pool Hide, and was delighted that Dunc was still watching the bird when I arrived.
The bird, an adult, was pecking about in the wet mud among a flock of loafing Lapwings, showing nicely in the morning sunshine. This is only the second Pec I have seen in the York area (see here for my write-up of my first), and the first adult, so very welcome - hence the dash! There has been a little flurry of Pecs into the UK in the last fortnight and so great that York got in on the action.
Craig, Rob and Jane turned up before the flock was flushed by a hunting Sparrowhawk. At first the Pec, which called, a Bee-eater like prrrt, circled around with the Lapwings, but after a bit, before heading off high south. It seemed to have gone, and Stuart Rapson turned up two minutes too late. Fortunately for Stuart, it came back in ten minutes later and whilst landing out of sight, it came back out after I had left. This is the tenth record for the York area. Also present, nine Green Sandpipers, c100 Lapwings, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Cetti's Warbler and Willow Tits.
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