With just a pair of Grey Wagtail being the highlight, I prepared to leave, but doing one last sweep with the bins and I picked up a small wader landing with about 7 Lapwing at the right hand end of the NE shingle bank.
It looked rather small, but I had it down as Dunlin quickly, but as it kept flicking it's primaries I wondered if it had a white rump. After nearly 20 minutes it finally flitted to the left about 5 feet showing a classic Dunlin rump.
I scanned around several times and kept losing the bird against the stones. when I came back later the same problem kept me from re-finding it for nearly 10 minutes. The record shots are terrible, due to distance and light.
My late morning visit ended with about an hour around the car park, 1-2 Chiffchaff, added to the 2 along the Loddon, crests calling in many places, 4-5 Redwing over, 2 Meadow Pipit over, 3 on the landfill, 6-7 Chaffinch in 2 groups North, but very little else.
For the record, Dunlin is very uncommon in October, with no records prior to 2012, but since then 4 out of 5 years and 3 consecutive years now;
7th 2016 - LFGP til 12:25, but no sign by 12:32
5th 2015 - LFGP heard only
12th 2014 - BSL flying but never landed
24th 2012 - LFGP heard only
So back to the history of October Jack Snipe;
23rd & 24th 2007 - Tern scrape (GSE, JO'B et al)
9th to 15th 2002 - Tern scrape (TGJ et al)
2/11th & 1/31st 1997 - Tern scrape (observer unknown)
19th 1996 - Tern scrape (observer unknown)
22nd 1983 - Mungell's Pond (A Carmichael)
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