Done Dunlin'

I drove over to Farmoor Reservoir this morning, in the admittedly faint hope that the Glossy Ibis that rocked up there at about 9am would still be around by noon. That it wasn't was no surprise - a concrete-sided reservoir hardly seems like ideal territory for a wetland bird that likes to probe mud for food with its long curved bill - but sadly my silent prayer, that the bird had simply moved a few hundred metres into the more appropriate environment of the Pinkhill water meadow, went unanswered as well.

"Anything else about?" I asked the two birders who'd told me that the Ibis was long since off on its travels again. "A few Ringed Plovers," was the answer, "and a Dunlin." I thanked them and set off around Farmoor One, where there was no Dunlin to be seen, but I eventually found three Ringed Plovers playing in some vivid blue-green foam that looked almost radioactive. I can only hope they survived the experience of eating the invertebrates they were digging out of this repellent scum.

After a little smackerel of something in the café, I set off again in search of the Dunlin, and eventually caught up with it at the far end of the causeway, on the F2 side - a place I'd already checked some two hours earlier. The little chap's right leg is a rather suspicious turquoise colour though, so I think that at some point it must also have been paddling in the smaller reservoir, probably keeping company with the Ringed Plovers, before striking out on its own into cleaner territory. 

If you'd like more information about the Dunlin, please do take a look at this post, in which I became mildly enraged about the dismissive descriptions to which this pretty and confiding little wader is often subject. What with that, and the fact that I spent two hours tracking it down, I feel compelled to feature it today, but my favourite photo of the day is actually the Common Darter I've added as an extra. He was hunting around the periphery of the dragonfly pool by the Shrike Meadow hide, and kept giving me nice photo opportunities by repeatedly landing and perching on a wooden gate. It would have felt rude to refuse this offer, especially as the pool itself has been disappointing this season - today, as far as I could see, it was hosting one Mute Swan, one Moorhen, one Grass Snake, and a single Migrant Hawker.