Abbeystead and Dotterel revisited

April 29, 2010:
Being conveniently close to the route home and as there had been no reports for two days, another check was made to see if the single male Dotterel and Golden Plovers were still in their field alongside Abbeystead Lane. A slight surprise therefore to find two female Dotterel in just the same place and again mixed in amongst the plovers but this time there was no sign of last week's male.

The birds were still very distant which made photography difficult




There are several square kilometres of contiguous and seemingly identical upland pasture in this immediate area but the Dotterel and plovers have always remained within a very small part of it, no more than 100 metres in diameter. Even when flushed by a low-flying aircraft, all the birds returned to the same spot. They've been there now for at least a week so presumably there is very rich feeding. Lapwings and Meadow Pipits were again present and a Marsh Harrier briefly appeared nearby.

The Abbeystead Dotterel again

April 25, 2010:
The Dotterel was still there today amongst an enlarged flock of Golden Plovers but this time it was even more distant (80+ metres).



Manual focus, a tripod and a 1.4x extender didn't really result in larger images. At one time all the birds took to the air for no apparent reason but were still just as far away when they re-settled.





Golden Plovers circling the field.


A bonus later in the day was a good view of Pied Flycatchers in a wooded area. It may be possible to get some photos of them soon.

Dotterel at Abbeystead, Lancashire

April 24, 2010:
The Dotterel, first reported near Abbeystead on Thursday, was still there today (Saturday).



It was in an upland sheep pasture and about 50 metres from the side of a country road amongst a flock of approximately 45 Golden Plovers. Even with a scope and at such a relatively short distance, it was often difficult to locate as it was mixed in with the plovers and kept low down in the grass, sometimes sleeping. All this made photgraphy difficult. On the occasional movement of the plovers, the passage of a Buzzard overhead, or the approach of a sheep, it would raise itself slightly, walk about briefly and for a short while be more visible. Lapwings and Meadow Pipits were also close by.







Whoever first spotted it from the roadside must have been very sharp-eyed!