Farlington Marshes 08/05/25

 I was back at Farlington this afternoon, hoping to finally see some of the Lesser Whitethroats that had been reported there, or maybe find something else. 

My brother very kindly lent me his Canon 7D, so I could see what it was like compared to my current Canon SX50. I used a mix of both, and will include photos from both cameras. 

There were a few Greenfinch about, by the car park, and two Mute Swans were on the small pond. 

On the lake, there were a few Avocets and Shelducks, and a few Whimbrel and Curlew were out in the harbour. 

A Raven was on the field, and so was a Skylark. I moved on round, and a Gadwall was on some water to the left of the path.

Nothing else was around, so I walked on towards the deeps. A few Reed Warblers were showing pretty well, but nothing of interest could be seen. 

Around the corner, a Reed Warbler was showing extremely well in a bush. I don't think I've seen them this close before. It started singing, such an incredible sound. 

I walked a tiny bit further before coming to another small pool, and a small wader was on it. The sun was directly behind it, so it just looked like a Redshank, but I looked anyway- good thing I did, too! 

The view that greeted me through my bins was a welcome sight- a Wood Sandpiper. This is only the second time I have seen this species, and the first time I have been able to photograph it. It was feeding in the mud, edging its way closer and closer, giving incredibly good views. 

The lighting was awful, but I still managed a few decent shots. 

It moved further away, and I needed to go back soon, so reluctantly, I moved on.  

A quick look around at the hut produced not much other than the normal. Just as I was walking away, a bird flew across the path- a Bearded Tit. It flew past quite close, allowing certain ID, but no chance for photos.

I finally got round to the bushes, hoping that there would be some interesting things around, but all that was seen was a Pheasant. After a bit more walking around, I heard a Lesser Whitethroat, but unfortunately didn't manage to see it. 

Sadly, I had to head home, so no Lesser Whitethroat this time, but it was still a great trip, seeing the Wood Sandpiper so close- they're one of my favourite waders. It was great fun seeing a Reed Warbler up close as well, not something that happens so often!