Cooling Marshes, Kent, 7th December 2014

Thursday 12 September 2013

Dot Dash

Looking through my photos from a trip to Bockhill Farm by St Margarets at Cliffe on Sunday is a bit like 'Where's Wally':



You can all spot the Dotterel right? (clue - top of field, just left of centre)

Upon arrival I was told that the bird had been flushed by a falcon thirty minutes before and hadn't been seen since, this is what normally happens when I go anywhere. But I got directions to the area it was last seen in and walked round to the lower half of the field anyway. Getting there I realised finding a small, streaky-buff bird in an ocean of stubble wasn't going to be easy - a couple I passed on the way down had no luck. Still, it was a nice afternoon and I got down to business scanning the surrounding fields. After 15 minutes and nothing, I was feeling a bit resigned but was boosted a bit when I started picking up a few wheatears along the brow of the field. While scanning these, another head popped up in the view and scuttled off to the right, partridge-like. Getting on it again I was pleased to see the bold, pale supercilium of a superfine young Dotterel. After half an hour it worked its way closer, giving myself and another birder some good views:


Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) Bockhill Farm, nr Dover, 8/9/13
 - the top photo shows the extent of the supercilium at the rear of its head

A pretty smart thing, I was really pleased to catch up with one at last.

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