Purple patch at Farlington Marshes, September 2010

Purple Sandpiper

The lure of a Lapland Bunting took me to Farlington Marshes at the end of September. This Hampshire Wildlife Trust reserve on the north side of Langstone Harbour between Portsmouth and Havant is a great spot...and the site's first Purple Sandpipers definitely made it a memorable trip.

On arrival at the car park (located just off the A27 / A2030 junction), there were great views of Grey Plover, Dunlin and Lapwing on the mudflats and saltmarshes. There are also fantastic views of birds and the harbour from all around the seawall. Find a map here.

On this beautiful sunny lunchtime there were over 300 Oystercatchers, 200 Redshank and 100 Black-tailed Godwits on the western lagoon, plus Curlew, Greenshank, Snipe and Turnstone - quite a wader fest!

Round at 'The Deeps', a pool and creeks behind the seawall, a few of us spent time searching the Mippits and Linnets on the pool fringe in the vain hope of one being the Lapland Bunt. An Osprey overfly distracted for a while.

Eventually, an eagle-eyed birder spotted the Lapland Bunting sat shivering in the lee of a small hummock and I managed a shaky capture through the telescope with the Nikon Coolpix 4500 I was testing.





Rather unwilling to leave, the slow walk back still had some great views and birds to offer. A Wheatear showed well on the fringe of The Deeps and fifty or so Starlings were going to town on the ripe blackberries. But the best was saved for last: two Purple Sandpipers - the first recorded on the reserve - landed on the western seaswall and were quite happy to be watched and photographed at just a couple of metres range. It was a privilege to watch them and I did so for a good half hour before tearing myself away...but definitely a spot to return to. Check out the Trust's Langstone Harbour blog for what is about.

Purple Sandpipers