When you want it so badly

I arrived at LFGP 06:15, so early and in more or less dark, mostly due to it being so rainy and overcast, a lot of rain fell and the storms kept me optimistic.

Over 70 Mallard roosting in the SW corner, which pretty much all left by 07:00, 44+ Teal, the Mandarin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green.

I was midway thru counting the Teal when a flock of small waders passed through my scope view, panicked I scanned the far East shore intensely for 5 minutes, before finding them. They looked like Dunlin, but the light was terrible and I was straining to see them against the stoney shore, but after 20 minutes I was fairly sure they were Dunlin, 6 of them. I carried on watching them and they were unnerved by the Teal, so began to make their way right very slowly.

I kept on looking and began to think one looked paler, "were the bills longer?" I asked myself, 3 had the hint of dark on the belly, so definite Dunlin, but one had more of a supercillium and was browner, but I could not discern any longer legs at that range. A couple washed and even fluttered up revealing very white looking around the tail, but as they were side on I couldn't see if the rumps were all white.

To my horror they suddenlt got spooked and flew right and gained height, hoping they would head for the SW corner, my hopes were soon dashed as they headed out West and out of sight. I could swear I heard calls unlike Dunlin and began to wonder if 2 or more might well have been Curlew Sandpiper, but they were gone and no means to adding more to the possibilities.

I have to put them all down as Dunlin as none showed any real evidence of longer legs, necks, or bills and did not behave any differently. Still 7 Dunlin is the third largest flock ever, only eclipsed by the 11/9th May 2007 and 8/26th April 1982, so the largest autumn flock will do.

A few hours later and Steve sent a text saying "Spotted Flycatcher on old Lesser Spotted Woodpecker roost trees". I was there in 10 minutes and got my 130th species for 2016, just brief views before it shot off down the backwater hedgerow. I more or less written off my chances of adding this one for 2016.

Feeling optimistic I headed back to Lea Farm GP and met Alan, counting the wildfowl again, there were 44 Shoveler, 40 Teal, 6 Wigeon, the Mandarin and 2 Common Sandpipers still.

Others arrived and scanning the landfill I picked up yet another Wheatear, then my fourth Whinchat of the Autumn, last scan and I was amazed to find 2 Red-legged Partridge on the brow of the far landfill, the first since 2013.

What a day, celebrating it with an awesomely poor record shot of the 2 Red-legged Partridge