Flash flooding and heavy rain downs first LITTLE STINT of year

THURSDAY 18 AUGUST

Torrential rain causing flash floods crossed the region today as the wind veered to the east.......

ROOKERY SOUTH PIT (BEDFORDSHIRE)

This evening, Keith Owen discovered a LITTLE STINT in Rookery - the first in the county this year. It was consorting with the Ringed Plover flock, which have now been present for several days. Negotiating the floods and driving cross country to avoid the northbound M1 congestion, I eventually arrived at Rookery in time to see Pip, MJP and Steve Blain departing. Fortunately, Jim Gurney was still 'scoping from the second bridge and I was able to get on to the bird straight away. The rain had also stopped. Like most waders now, it was at great distance, and KO did very well in making his initial identification. From what I could make out at full magnification, the bird was an adult in transitional plumage (uniformly marked on the upperparts).

Other waders present this evening included the 4 juvenile RUFFS (two of which are small females), 5 COMMON GREENSHANK, 4 Common Sandpipers and 4 Green Sandpipers, the 8 accompanying Ringed Plovers and 177 Lapwings that flew in at dusk presumably to roost.

Jim had seen a Northern Wheatear on the mud before I arrived but whilst scanning for it, no less than 38 YELLOW WAGTAILS (predominantly juvenile) flew to roost in the reeds.