Waders galore at RSPB Frampton Marsh

 RSPB Frampton Marsh Visitor Centre

Mid-morning use of the car

 Plenty of Little Egrets

 And Little & Ringed Plovers

 Avocet

 Black-tailed Godwits ready for duel

Speckled Wood 

 Ruff

 Ruff

  Distant Grey Plover

 Twitchers standing hopeful 

 360 Hide

Dunlin

Juvenile Swallow

I decided I was over due a proper days birding so I opted to try RSPB Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire.  The journey took around 2 ½ hours which went pretty quickly listening to a couple of podcasts. The reserve sits on the edge of the Wash however this coastal wetland reserve includes a reedbed, large freshwater scrapes and wet grassland.  The RSPB have invested in new facilities including a visitor centre with toilets, three hides (two with 360-degree views) and over 3 km of new footpaths to explore.

The whole reserve was abdelight and the good signage made it easy to navigate around. The marsh held a great selection of waders including a Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover , Knot, Greenshank, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Avocet. Just before I left a Grey Plover dropped in with the Godwits. Broods of Pochard & Shelduck were also observed and a huge number of Little Egrets.

Mid morning I returned for a quick coffee and piece of cake before heading in a different part of the location where I found three Turtle Dove including one juvenile. It was interesting to note one of the birds was still purring. In the grass meadow around the barns there was a family of Yellow Wagtail foraging for food whilst I noted Pied Wagtails, Greenfinches, Water Rail and Linnets all from the same area.

The reserve had recently attracted a Pectoral, White-Rumped & Broad-billed Sandpiper and it was easy to see why as the water levels were perfect for the waders. The reserve seemed to have a real mixture of local birders, a few tourists and a number of early morning twitchers.

I left highly satisfied of a super day and couldn’t believe how quickly time had past. Frampton Marsh is most definitely a reserve I’ll be returning to whether there is a rarity there or not.