Well, where do I start? This was my biggest bogie bird. I had attempted to see many of this species, but due to bad luck, they had either flown the next day when I arrived or I had missed them by a few hours or minutes. Well, this bird broke on the pager on Friday afternoon, so I arranged to go with Dianne the next morning. We set off at 6.00am, and I managed to call in at Farndon and connect with a female otter that had turned up the night before in a ploughed potato field, which I needed for my Cheshire yearlist. I then started the long journey south. There was no news on the bird all the way down as I drove, which was looking good, and on arrival at Dawlish Warren, I saw Joe from Plymouth, who gave me the bad news that the bird had gone! I was gutted and couldn`t believe it!Me and Dianne had a good walk around, but there was no sign. I felt like shit, but Dianne tried to console me by saying it might come back later when the tide comes in! Anyway, we headed off for something to eat and a walk around Dawlish to do some shopping. On return late afternoon, there was still no sign of the bird, and I was so pissed off, so I just laid back on the beach with Dianne and had a cigarette. When I stood back up, a ringed plover had flown in right next to us, and then, out of nowhere, I couldn't believe my eyes. The female Kentish plover landed, showing well. I felt absolutely ecstatic and just couldn’t believe our luck. The bird showed well for the hour, and thankfully a lot of other birders connected with it. What a day from deflation to total elation! God, I love birding!
PICTURE OF THE KENTISH PLOVER KINDLY EMAILED TO ME BY LEE COLLINS ONE OF THE DAILY REGULARS
