RSPB Frampton Marsh pt2

While I was sat in the reedbed hide at Frampton I was watching a few sandpipers pipe their way around the sandy verges. There were two or three Green Sandpipers and a Common. The Common flew towards the hide and veered away at the death. It must have seen my silhouette. It disappeared out of sight in the grassy bank. Ten minutes or so later, I could see movement in the grass in front of me. In anticipation I lifted the camera up. Up the bank came the Common Sandpiper and stopped on a raised tuft of sandy grass. He clearly wasn't expecting to see me still there, but I enjoyed our moment together. These birds are quite small and usually viewed through a scope or binoculars at distance, so to get one so close was superb. I didn't even have to crop my images.

Common Sandpiper

Here is one of the Green Sandpipers at the more socially acceptable distance. Much darker in the upper parts with nice white underparts and greenish legs.

Common Snipe