I was going to head out to Spurn on Sunday , but a combination of a big fire in Hull and unseasonably cold weather had me heading off in another direction.
I originally started at Swinemoor but there were only a few birds about the long staying pink footed goose was about the best of it with a couple of wigeon but crucilaay there were no interesting waders.
I decided to have a walk up to Pulfin and High Eske.A walk round the west side produced plenty of warblers including sedge, lesser and common whitethroat, willow and blackcap.There was a heron at the north end as well as a cuckoo.
Plenty of common wildfowl including a fine male goldeneye, a single yellow, pied and white wagtail.Lots of hirundines and on the shoreline there was a couple of ringed plovers, oystercatchers, redshanks and the star birds, 3, at times rather confiding wood sandpipers.
I initially saw them on the main shore but they soon flew off to one of the islands when anybody came walking their dog.It didn't take long for them to fly back-clearly there was some food getting washed up, also each time they came on the main bank they always walked North.
I figured that If I waited near a dead tree at the north end of the shore they might walk up close.
Unfortunately there was quite a few dog walkers around and they flushed the birds twice just as my plan was starting to work-however after a wait of about an hour and in the middle of a shower all three birds came within 6 metres-easily the best views of wood sandpiper I had ever had.
Unfortunately the light was very poor and with the limitations of digiscoping my shots don't really reflect the beauty of the birds.
Once the rain cleared it gave way to some nice sunny spells making the photography of the wagtail and little ringed plover much easier.