Marsh Mega in Oxfordshire 29th August

I needed some mindfulness today after finally getting Sky to come and banish BT broadband from our home. I decided that the RSPB's Otmoor Reserve and an evening sitting quietly at the first screen watching birds coming in to roost for the night would do the trick. 

A spectacular rainbow provided a suitable overture to the main event, that of the arrival of hundreds of Yellow Wagtails coming to roost in the dense reed beds by the screen.Their tiny forms were scattered like  confetti over a sunsetting sky as they circled before dropping into the reeds for the night. In the company of two colleagues we estimated that close to five hundred arrived over a period of thirty or so minutes, the flocks of varying sizes. It was impossible to be precise as to the numbers but we felt our estimate was reasonable. A supporting cast of two Common Cranes and fifty plus Cattle Egrets added to the pleasure and the presence of so many wagtails attracted the inevitable predators in the form of two each of Hobby, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier.

We left in the gloaming, the reserve falling silent as a final clarion call came from the cranes, bugling from far out on the field where they would spend the night.

I returned home my spirit elevated by another of nature's wildlife spectacles.

On  getting home I checked my Oxon Bird Forum WhatsApp on my phone and saw a couple of blurry images posted by Jeremy D of a distant wader he had seen at a lake called Pit 60 at Standlake and that he thought might well be a Marsh Sandpiper. 

A county mega if it was and a rare vagrant to Britain with only 151 previous records.They normally breed from eastern Europe to eastern Siberia and the European breeding birds winter in sub saharan Africa.

As there was no further comment to the posted images I went to bed. 

I slept well that night, the first time for ages. 

All changed for me on awaking at 7am the next day to see a number of additional comments on the forum informing me that Jeremy's  photos from last night were considered to indeed be those of a juvenile Marsh Sandpiper and possibly the same one that had been seen in Devon just a day or two ago. Crucially it was currently being watched from one of the hides at Pit 60.

The last and only other Marsh Sandpiper to be recorded in Oxfordshire was discovered in a flooded field at Abingdon on the 4th of August 2007 that moved to nearby Farmoor Reservoir the next day and then vanished. I had not seen that one so it was imperative I saw this one if at all possible.

Plans for a relaxed morning doing all those things that should have been done days ago flew out of the metaphorical window as did I, out of the door fifteen minutes later into the car and off to Standlake. Fortunately all my birding gear from yesterday was still in the car so delay was cut to a minimum.A quick check ensued for; wallet, phone, bins and most important of all the key to the two bird hides at Pit 60. All were present and correct so it was go, go, go.

The two hides are only accessible to keyholders to prevent vandalism and keys at the moment are at a premium so only locals such as myself, already in possession of one would be able to access the hides. Being such a rare bird the sandpiper would naturally be a must see for non local birders who did not have a key. How that problem was to be  solved would have to wait, as priority number one for those of us who needed it for our Oxfordshire list was to SEE THE BIRD!

Standlake is a twenty minute drive south from my home, so in a grey, dull but mild, rain threatening early morning I negotiated the country roads to Standlake, parked the car and set about the mile long walk to the hides. 

There is no choice but to walk as there is no permitted access for vehicles so I set off as it commenced to rain, not heavy but persistent and soft in the humid conditions, the murkiness of the morning permeating the high banks of hawthorn and bramble that formed an extended corridor of thick vegetation through which snaked the narrow footpath that seems to go onwards and forever leading to the hides. The anxious 'hweets' of Common Chiffchaffs came at regular intervals from the bushes as I passed by and remarkably a late Willow Warbler sang briefly but unmistakably.

I foreswore entering the North Shore Hide, the first of the two hides I came to. I just knew everyone would be in the second and larger Langley Lane Hide. As it was keyholders only it was logical that it would be full of local Oxonbirders, all of which would be known to me so it would be a social as well as a birding occasion, something which I rather looked forward to.

Hot and sweating from the power walk to the hide whilst lugging a heavy camera bag and scope I approached the hide door up the boardwalk.The door opened and Thomas came out having cycled there presumably at dawn.Thomas and several other Oxonbirders are doing an Oxfordshire Big Year so for them this was a must see bird too.

Inside, as suspected the hide was full of welcome and familiar faces. 

Oxonbirds finest in action.I know them all

Trevor E, noting the anxiety on my face let me look through his scope which was focused on the bird and there was a Marsh Sandpiper and the 270th species of bird that I have seen in Oxfordshire was secured.

I relaxed, well sort of.

There was just about room to squeeze onto a bench and get my scope set up, grappling with the scope's tripod legs to get them in place and set at the right height. 

Still feeling hot and  bothered from the walk to the hide I removed my jacket to cool down and finally felt settled enough to look at the sandpiper properly through my scope and indulge in a bit of birder banter. The sandpiper was on the far side of the lake, a very long way off for my camera  but reasonable for a telescope.

With the current low water levels a small area of silt has become exposed at the base of the extensive reeds that grow like a green whispering wall along the south side of the lake and the sandpiper seemed to show a preference for this area above all others.

On first seeing the bird it was obvious it was not a Greenshank even in the dull conditions it appeared very white with contrasting  darker grey upperparts but it was the size and behaviour that was diagnostic for me.When it passed a Lapwing it was obvious how small and dainty it was.

At times, at distance it reminded me of a Wilson's Phalarope due to its whiteness, rapid feeding action and occasional swimming in deeper patches of water. 

The light at first was appalling, made so by the smirrr of light rain drifting over the lake but slowly it was improving  and eventually the rain ceased.The sandpiper initially moved around the lake, sampling various areas but in the end settled for the furthest southern shore where it moved up and down by way of wading or short flights. Hence the distinctly average photos achieved with my camera and lens set up.

The view of Pit 60 from the Langley Lane Hide

Time passed nd some of the hide's occupants left for work or to attend to other matters and the hide became less crowded.

Once having had my fill of the sandpiper it would have been remiss not to check for other birds. Best for me was a Ruddy Duck, probably the one, with marginal success, we have all tried to keep secret  and that has been seen at various lakes and reservoirs in the county over the last month or two . When watching the sandpiper I encountered other birds feeding on the muddy margins under the reeds; a couple of Water Rails, a Common Sandpiper and two Black tailed Godwits revealed themselves in this way  and incongruously a Song Thrush. Reed and Sedge Warblers flickered through the base of the reeds.

More local birders joined us and three Marsh Harriers came to hunt the north shore and this spooked the sandpiper which flew and circled higher, thence to depart to the east at 1045. It looked very much like it had gone for good and with that I left the hide with Badger and we walked back to our cars.

c Ian Lewington

I made my way to Farmoor Reservoir to meet Phil and learned there from Peter that the sandpiper had returned at 1115. Peter had not seen a Marsh Sandpiper in Oxfordshire so we arranged to go back to Pit 60 in my car to hopefully rectify this 

We duly returned and started at the North Shore Hide which we found unoccupied and within seconds Peter had seen the sandpiper, still faithfully huggng the far shoreline. We moved to the Langley Lane Hide which was fairly full and scoped it from there too, everyone hoping it might come closer but it never did. 

We went back to the North Shore Hide and found it still empty and the sandpiper came a bit closer to feed amongst some Lapwings and ducks on an exposed sand bar but that was as close as it ever came. Which was not close enough for a decent photo.

An apochryphal thunderstorm was meanwhile brewing and a huge dark cloud accompanied by loud cracks of thunder passed over, depositing a heavy rainstorm as we sat it out in the hide. Once it had passed we returned to the car in sunshine and I dropped Peter back at Farmoor where he was going to lead a bat walk later in the evening. 

Quite a day and my Oxfordshire list advanced by one more notch. 

No complaints from me!

My grateful thanks to Ian Lewington our estimable County Recorder for the use of his images of the flying Marsh Sandpiper

There was no sign of the Marsh Sandpiper the next day.

A Black necked Grebe visits Farmoor 22nd August 2025

                

Farmoor was doing its best to resemble a seaside resort today as myself, Phil and Dave promenaded up the causeway on a warm sunlit mid morning, the waters of the reservoir silky smooth, untroubled by any wind.These are the halcyon days of late summer but it will not last forever.

All very nice but the benign conditions presaged very little in the way of birdlife but unusually also little in the way of human presence which was no bad thing.

We made our way to the hide at Thames Water's Pinkhill Reserve by the River Thames but here also there was little to see apart from two teal dabbling in the increasingly shallow water as the summer drought continues. We sat in the hide chatting and looking out on the tranquil aquatic surrounds of the tiny reserve.I always feel a calm come over me when indulging in such an activity if you can call it thus.Often I will come to sit, alone and quiet in this hide and allow my mind and body to free fall into pleasing sensory and physical sensations

That was not for today however as we decided to move on, following the Thames Path, flanked with raggedy hedges of hawthorn and blackthorn shrouded in rampaging brambles, the sprays and runners bearing fists of berries, some black, lustrous and sweet to taste amongst others that were still red and hard and yet to ripen.

Two huge and venerable willows bowered the path further on, the enormous boughs, gigantic and mishapen, aslant across the path, leaning above our heads as if almost too heavy for the tree to bear and presenting curtains of long, green, attenuated leaves that hang almost to the ground so one has to brush them gently aside with the back of a hand to pass under. Every time I see them George Butterworth's  pastoral composition The Banks of Green Willow comes to my mind.

Further along the path we came to the pumphouse where water is pumped into the reservoir from the adjacent River Thames, the brutalist architecture of the building incongruous amongst its idyllic surrounds, jarring to the eye but for me remains strangely attractive   

During a Thames Water work party here last week, when trimming back the bankside vegetation of the river we discovered a hidden rope attached to the bank and leading to a cage, lying deep in the opaque green water of the river. Curious, we hauled it out to discover it was full of Signal Crayfish, an invasive American rival to our indigenous crayfish. Introduced in 1976 it has colonised most of mainland Britain and rapidly superceded our native crayfish in our rivers due to being a carrier of crayfish plague which is fatal to our native crayfish.

There must have been around twenty in there, gyrating and twisting, waving fearsome looking claws in a vain endeavour to escape. We took one out to photograph it - well when, if ever, do you get such an opportunity? 

They are surprisingly powerful creatures but if held firmly by the body behind their claws cannot harm you. We put the cage and its contents back in the water assuming they belonged to an opportunist local fisherman but learnt later that it was the property of the Environment Agency, presumably doing some research into the crayfish.

Moving on I picked ripe blackberries to swallow and slowly savour from the high hedge by the tarmac track that runs to Lower Whitley Farm but we never found the Spotted Flycatcher that had been seen hereabouts by Paul yesterday.

We took the zigzag path back up to the reservoir and turning onto the perimeter track headed for the causeway. Approaching the causeway Dave's phone rang.It was Paul informing Dave that a friend of his had discovered a Black necked Grebe in the northwest corner of F1 the smaller of the reservoir's two basins and, as luck would have it, right where we were approaching.

The waters were still glass smooth so anything on the water would be obvious. A scattering of Great crested Grebes floated on the benign surface and slightly further out was undeniably another grebe but smaller.

Through binoculars it was confirmed to be the Black necked Grebe, a juvenile in grey and white plumage.

Slowly it swam closer, picking insects from the water's surface and occasionally diving. I chided myself for not bringing my camera but my back has been telling me for weeks that it really needs a break.Dave fortunately had his camera and managed some more than acceptable images as the grebe came quite close.

Black necked Grebes are annual passage migrants at the reservoir in both Spring and Autumn and always good to see but they rarely remain for longer than a day or two.Where they come from and where they are bound for is open to conjecture. Possibly they are from the small breeding population at St Aidans in Yorkshire see here  and are making their way to the Thames Estuary or the south coast of England where the majority spend the winter.

We walked back to the cafe and I decided to ask permission to drive around the reservoir to go and photograph the grebe which had looked content and settled in its corner when we left. 

I duly did this but on checking where we had seen the grebe not thirty minutes ago I could find no sign of it and despite checking and re-checking it was definitely not there. I walked the western bank of the basin and half the length of the causeway but still could find no sign. Paul joined me but he could not find it either. We were non plussed and after an hour of fruitless searching with some other birders had to assume it had somehow departed or maybe was somewhere else on the larger basin F2 but that seemed unlikely as it was very busy with yachts and fishermen

I gave up and drove home.

Drawing up on my driveway my phone pinged.It was a message from Paul on the Oxon Bird Forum announcing he had re-found the grebe half way down the northern bank of F1, feeding happily by the old mussel encrusted filtration cages - now beached and abandoned on the concrete shelving.

There was no question. I had to go back to Farmoor and photograph the grebe.

I was now into mid afternoon on getting back to the reservoir with the sun blazing down from a cotton wool sky. Costa del Farmoor!

A short walk around the smaller basin to half way along the perimeter track brought me to where the grebe was last seen but there was no sign. 

I walked further and a small, dumpy bird surfaced like a bobbing cork, close into the edge of the reservoir. Found it!

Now the problem was how to get a decent photo in the bright and harsh sunlight.My aim was to try and get images showing the demonic red eyes that this grebe retains at all times but it was far from easy and I had to  surrepticiously position myself between the grebe to my left and the sun to my right to get the right angle and without the grebe swimming further out into the reservoir, taking mild alarm at my obvious presence on the perimeter track. 

I formed a plan. Every time the grebe dived and was underwater I would move rapidly to where I thought it might re-surface and crouch on the retaining wall thus lowering my profile and becoming less obvious.

For once it worked and I happily took my images in between moving to a new position every time the grebe dived

I spent half an hour with the grebe and then at around 4pm headed back to the car. Happy with what I had achieved.

It had been a long but ultimately successful day.

Kite Flying in Gloucestershire 21st August 2025

c Mike King

In the early evening of Wednesday 20th  I was turning into my driveway, having successfully twitched a Little Stint at Farmoor Reservoir see here when my phone rang. It was Mark (P) who lives in the next village to mine

We going to Frampton then?  he enquired

I had no idea what he was talking about. Obviously it involved a rare bird but what exactly?

Can you elaborate?  I responded

There's a Black winged Kite at Frampton on Severn. Obviously it's too late to go now but we could go early tomorrow.

My response was instant, for if correct this would be only the third record of a Black winged Kite  found in Britain.

When do you want to go ?

How about 7am tomorrow. I will pick you up from yours

See you then

Mark has never seen a Black winged Kite, not anywhere, so this would be a lifer for him and thus it was imperative we should give it a go although I thought we really should try to get to Frampton at dawn but I was desperately tired and a pre dawn start was beyond my capabilities 

Also, if I am honest I was fairly laid back about this third ever for Britain as I was fortunate enough to have seen the second one for Britain really well in Norfolk in July 2023 see here

I checked up on what had occured today and learnt that the kite had been seen in the vicinity of Splatt Bridge which crosses the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal beyond Frampton. It was then reportedly seen to go to roost near the Estuary Tower at Slimbridge WWT about a mile and a half south of Splatt Bridge.

For the Norfolk bird I had arrived before dawn as the roost site was staked out and we waited until it left its roost and saw it well. Ideally this is what we should do for this one too but as my current fatigue did not allow for this we would have to trust to good fortune and get there as soon as possible.

Today at 0637 the kite was reported back at Splatt Bridge and apparently gave a superb fly past for the assembled birders there as it once more headed south towards Slimbridge.

Next morning Mark arrived on the dot of 7am and we set off for Splatt Bridge, although I felt in my bones we really should head for Slimbridge rather than Splatt Bridge as this is where it had been seen heading to this morning but Mark decided we should go to Splatt Bridge and as he was driving I demurred.

The small car park at Splatt Bridge was full so we parked back at the church and walked a quarter of a mile to the bridge which we crossed to join a small group of birders scoping the fields beyond by the River Severn.

It was a relatively cold morning due to a northeast wind and grey skies as we stood huddled by a limited gap in the hedgerow

The birders told us about the kite flying past here towards Slimbridge earlier and said they were waiting for it to possibly fly back in this direction. I was not so sure it would but we stood and dutifully scoped the fields but saw little apart from a Marsh Harrier and a Hobby which shot at high speed across the canal.

Most of our fellow birders who had seen the kite were content to leave it at that and departed back over the bridge towards the village. Looking south down the canal towpath we could see another group of birders further down who seemed to have a better view of the fields from there 

We decided to join them

We duly walked a few hunded metres and joined the birders but they had seen nothing of the kite so far although they remained optimistic they would.

Again I was not so sure but could give no rational reason why I felt this way.

Twenty minutes passed and getting bored I consulted one of the twitching WhatsApp groups I am a member of  and saw a message stating the kite was currently being watched near the Cambridge Arms Bridge  which lay further south down the canal in the direction of Slimbridge! So my intuition was correct after all.

What the hell, this required immediate action

Come on Mark follow me.

Why what's up? 

The kite is being watched down there at a place called Cambridge Arms Bridge and I pointed down the towpath

We shouted to a fisherman on the opposite bank of the canal.

 How far is the Cambridge Arms Bridge?

Half a mile he yelled back

We set off at a good pace and most of the other birders around us, aware of this new development followed us

In fact the bridge was more like a mile distant.

Finally getting to the bridge and turning off the towpath we followed a track that led down to Ryall's Farm to our left and carried on further into a field where we joined a small group of birders already standing on the grass and obviously looking at the kite over to their left. Frustration was to follow as when we joined them we were told it had just dropped down behind a line of trees and bushes on the far side of a large field and was out of sight.

Anxiety levels rose and doubt set in.Would we see it or had we missed our opportunity?

It had been on view literally a minute before but there was no time to embrace despondency as a shout went up

It's flying again. Just above the large tree on the left!

I went for my bins, reasoning once I had it in the bins and noted its precise location in the sky I could get it in the scope

I scanned the sky but failed to locate it 

Now flying right! Quite high! came a disembodied shout

I scanned again and there it was just as described, high in the sky but now hovering kestrel style looking down to the ground with yellow legs and feet hanging down. My first impression was of a gull coloured, grey and white bird with a very large black patch on each of its grey upperwings. Mark was ecstatic as he now had his lifer and I too was more than pleased to get my second Black winged Kite for Britain despite all the considerable odds we had faced. I had been far from optimistic as to the outcome when we first set out but now it was done.

Here are two images of the second Black winged Kite to be seen in Britain, taken in Norfolk by a
good friend of mine Adrian Webb

The kite continued to hunt, continually pestered by a couple of crows and slowly moved right, sometimes dropping low and at other times rising to a considerable height in the sky. It was lost to view behind a huge distant tree and did not re-appear on the other side and everyone relaxed.

Well we did until a man, presumably the farmer, on an all terrain vehicle arrived and enquired why we were on his private property. Unaware we were it was explained to him why we were here and what we were looking at. It could have gone either way but he granted us permission to remain, on the proviso we ventured no further into the field.

Five minutes elapsed and then there was another shout

It's flying again! Left of the big tree

The kite appeared in the sky from the Slimbridge direction, carrying a vole tucked under its tail and being much mobbed by two crows which were trying to mug it of its prize. I got it in the scope again and enjoyed some fabulous views as it headed towards us

A late arriving birder, breathless in a minor panic asked me for directions to the kite's whereabouts

Without taking my eyes off the kite I gave him directions

It's over there to the left, fairly high in the sky. See the crow? It's just above it.

Some pedant corrected me stating it was not a crow but a Rook!

Give me strength 

Well how about corvid will that be OK? I remarked rather too loudly

We moved on

The kite again disappeared behind the large tree and failed to re-emerge

Presumably it had perched out of view to consume its prey.

At this point Mark heroically volunteered to walk the almost two miles to collect the car and bring it to the Cambridge Arms Bridge  while I remained to keep an eye on his scope. 

Realising that the kite was not going to be viewable for a little while I walked back up to the towpath as did several others and eventually someone from this more elevated position located the kite perched distantly and another tense and densely packed huddle of birders formed on the towpath to view it through a limited gap in the hedgerow.There was no way I was going to indulge in 'an elbow job'  so walked away and found my own gap and lo there before my very eyes was the kite flying across the sky in front of me. More very pleasing views came and then it was lost behind yet more trees to my right.

Happy with the morning's events I relaxed and stood on the towpath at the commencement of the track down into the farmer's field 

Menawhile quite a scrum of birders had re-formed in the field and judging by the fact they were all looking in one direction off to the right, they were watching the kite, albeit distantly.

I had to wait for Mark to return as there would be no parking at the bridge so did not bother to join them but spent the next forty minutes guiding anxiety racked birders coming along the towpath from Slimbridge or across the bridge

Can you see it mate? or Is it showing? were the standard enquiries

Not from here but if you go down the track and join the birders in the field they are all watching it. I would reply

Cheers

You're welcome 

c Mike King

The Black winged Kite was last seen at around 10am in the vicinity of the towpath near the Cambridge Arms Bridge, flying northeast and has not been seen since

My grateful thanks to Mike King, The Gloster Birder, for the use of his images at the top and bottom of this blog, taken on Wednesday 20th August. Please take a look at The Gloster Birder  http://theglosterbirder.co.uk  for daily updates on bird sightings in Gloucestershire

A Good Find at Farmoor 21st August 2025

My usual Wednesday 10am meeting with Phil at Farmoor Reservoir had to be delayed due to a morning visit from BT to my home, which predictably was highly stressful and ultimately unsatisfactory.

I called Phil once BT had departed, having left the Urquhart household in mental disarray. An arrangement with Phil to meet in the cafe at Farmoor at noon had to be cancelled due to the cafe being overwhelmed with the many kids from the various sailing schools that are now a feature of the reservoir, all wanting lunch at the same time resulting in predictable chaos in the cafe.

Phil suggested I come to his house for a coffee and in passing mentioned that on his walk around the reservoir with Dave and Alison, Dave had discovered a small wader on the causeway that he thought was a Little Stint. I called Dave who said he was fairly certain it was one but was not entirely sure.

This put me in a dilemna but in the end I rang Phil and told him I was going to Farmoor to seek out  Dave's mystery wader and would come to his home after checking on the wader's identity. I was fairly confident the wader would still be there as Little Stints if indeed it was one, whenever they arrive on the reservoir, are often confiding and not troubled by the constant passing of humankind along the causeway

Half an hour later I had walked the entire length and back of the causeway but failed to find any wader of any sort wandering along by the water.

A Ringed Plover called from above on the walk back and a late Swift flickered in a grey and windy sky amongst a scattering of House and Sand Martins, their cheery calls a counterpoint to my disappointment. 

I drove to Phil's and we had a coffee and Dave sent me an image of the wader he had photographed. There was no doubt. It was a juvenile Little Stint. A very good bird to see at Farmoor. I put the news out on the Oxon Bird Forum  that a Little Stint had been seen and photographed at the reservoir but there was now no sign of it. Maybe it was still on the reservoir for someone to refind somewhere, as there are three miles of concrete edge for it to choose from!

I made for home in a not very good frame of mind as I now had the daunting prospect of resuming battle with not only BT but Sky as well, to try and sort out the mess from this morning. More phone calls ended in yet more frustration and stress as the combined efforts of all three of us failed to get anywhere.I slumped in mute despair on the sofa, mentally worn down and resigned to accepting that nothing was going to get resolved in the state I was now in.

In the end I could take no more so we settled for a Sky engineer to come out the following week which might have been the best course of action in the first place. At least it was over for now.    

My phone pinged with another message from the Oxon Bird Forum

The Litte Stint was back on the causeway at Farmoor!

In landlocked Oxfordshire Little Stints are unusual, by no means annual and virtually all that  are seen occur at Farmoor, so this latest bird was a must see if possible. The last Little Stint I saw was two years ago and not at Farmoor. It was an adult on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, migrating north, the first seen there for twenty two years see here

I grabbed my bins and camera and headed out the door. At least this would divert my concerns about BT and the minor disaster they had inflicted but had now promised to sort out.

Rush hour traffic did not help my equanimity on the thirty minute drive to Farmoor nor did the roadworks requiring four way traffic control and a consequent long delay on the approach road to the reservoir  but finally I drove in the reservoir gates, parked the car and made haste for the central causeway.

The causeway runs from east to west and the sun was shining from the west straight down the causeway as I walked up, making it  impossible to make out if any birders were further along to give me a clue if the stint was still around and if so, where. The last news had said the stint was about half way along the causeway near the hide. It wasn't but I could see two familiar figures sat on the causeway wall, Thomas and Steve. They seemed relaxed but were not looking at anything.

My heart sank

Not again surely. 

Had the stint given me the slip for a second time?

But no, they pointed a bit further and there was the Little Stint fussing along, feeding non stop at the water's edge.

I duly took my photos, trying to get the sun behind me and that was still shining blindingly bright, straight and true, down the length of the causeway

The bird itself never once ceased in its quest for food, picking indiscernible items from the wet slimy concrete.

Being a juvenile it was in a pristine plumage of pleasingly, neatly patterned, black centred, chestnut coverts with two prominent white lines. so called braces, at either side of its mantle.

They are tiny birds, no more than 13-14cms, the size of a House Sparrow but unlike that sedentary species they are world champion migrants, flying phenomenal distances, up to 12000 kms, from their breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle to their winter home in South Africa. 

Years ago I found one feeding on the midden of a safari camp we were staying at on Lake Kariba in landlocked Zimbabwe, presumably making its way overland to the South African coast.

Steve departed and Thomas left soon afterwards and it was now myself and the stint with not another person on the causeway. Un-noticed the sun had slipped lower in the sky and that golden time commenced when the light is less intense and gentler on the eyes.

I glanced for one last time at the tiny crouched form still feeding avidly along the edge of the water, reluctant to depart, for who knows when I will see another Little Stint. I stood imagining myself somewhere nicer involving water, a beach in Africa perchance which is possibly where the current focus of my attention was bound.

Never mind, Farmoor Reservoir would have to do for both of us in the meantime. 

Postscript

Another juvenile Little Stint arrived on the reservoir on the 23rd and was seen in the company of a juvenile Little Ringed Plover on the 24/25 and 26th of August when it was joined by another juvenile and they are still present as of  the 27th August. At least one bird is still present on the 1st of September or is it a fourth?