2nd September and I wanted a break from gardening so headed up to the RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh on the Lincolnshire side of The Wash. Loads of Curlew Sandpipers, a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper and other waders had been reported. Arrived around 9.00am and headed straight for the 360 hide. Sat there for a couple of hours without seeing anything of note and certainly nothing within range of the camera. The juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was on view, right to the far side of the scrape - a dot in the viewfinder.

Met someone I knew so we headed out and stood on the observation hill overlooking Reedbed  Scrape (I think that is what it is called). Plenty of action there with Little Stints, Curlew Sandpipers and Snipe but just not quite within range of the camera. I took plenty of photos and subsequently deleted them all. I moved to the Reedbed Hide where a couple of Snipe were feeding, much closer in. Success at last!!!

With nothing else within range, I went for lunch and then moved the car from the main car park to the small car park near the sea wall. Looking around, there was nothing of interest there either so I walked back up the track, still seeing nothing of note and ended up back at the 360 hide. This time, the Pectoral Sandpiper was closer and moving towards the hide - a little bit of patience required. First a distant wing flap

and then it continued much closer - in fact a little too close as I was looking down on it but better than nothing.

I then moved back to the Reedbed Hide where a smallish flock of Curlew Sandpipers flew in and started to feed in the mud.

Snipe were also there until a Sparrowhawk flew in from over the hide and put everything up. The Snipe was the first to react,

with the Curlew Sandpipers flying around

and even a lone Ringed Plover put to flight.

With everything now dispursed over the scrape, it was time to call a halt and go home - rubbish morning, passable afternoon. A day of two halves.