Saved by a Dotterel

With conditions not improving overnight since yesterdays outing, it was hardly surprising to find similar if perhaps even lower numbers of birds around the Filey area today. Top Scrub was quiet other than decent numbers of greenfinch, feeding on rose hips. A thorough walk of the stubble fields and hedgerows in search of buntings did produce high numbers of reed buntings, a species which has certainly increased locally over recent weeks. In addition a single dunlin and teal were present on the tip scrape. By late morning, enthusiasm was starting to run low and whilst looking at waders on the Brigg news broke of a dotterel up in the northern ploughed fields. Very welcome news on what was turning into an unproductive day. A quick drive up there produced the bird almost instantly, sat on the brow of ploughed field.

 

Dotterel on brow of ploughed field.



This area south of the Blue Dolphin caravan park represents the highest point in the northern part of the Filey recording area, a feature which may certainly have influenced this alpine breeders field choice. Britain represents just about the most westerly breeding location in the Palearctic region, with no breeding occurring in Iceland or Ireland. British birds almost exclusively breed in the central highlands of Scotland. Dotterel leave the breeding grounds each year to winter in northern Africa and the middle east (British/western birds mainly winter in west Africa i.e. Morocco). Autumn records in this region tend to be limited, with spring records being far more common. Autumn birds are typically 1st winter birds in ones and twos. This bird appeared to be on its own, although others could potentially have been over the ridge, none were noted. This field offers exactly the type of habitat that these birds turn up on whilst on passage. A clear preference for flat, open, treeless, areas of land, especially recently ploughed arable land is sought.