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The Abbot decided he wanted to try to find the Baird’s Sandpiper and Citrine Wagtail at Marazion this morning and I really didn’t want to go. Having just started to clear the third infection in my finger tips and the nightmare it was to do the shopping in Tesco yesterday (my hands froze the minute I walked in and the pain was indescribable) so I was not looking forward to Marazion. I only took my bins as I have to expose my hands if I carry the scope. Having checked out the reserve we headed to the beach. We watched numerous Wagtails up and down the beach, but none of them delivered a Citrine. Just as we were positioned to look for the Baird’s someone rode down the beach at who knows how many miles an hour on the biggest quad bike I’ve ever seen. Needless to say the birds were flushed and way too far away to distinguish a Turnstone from a Dunlin for me let alone a Baird’s Sandpiper from a Common one! He proceeded to head towards them again at speed and they moved slightly further away. I was not amused. The other bird watchers looked non-too pleased either and they had scopes! Hands freezing and the Abbot said “let’s walk down the beach towards them”. Not likely… despite the pain in my hands it was sure to flush them further away and make every bird watcher there want to shove their scopes somewhere very uncomfortable! No, I had to go back to the car. We decided to head to Pendeen and having spoken to someone who was just leaving there when we arrived; I knew it was not looking good. They’d not had the best of mornings. He asked if we had seen the Baird’s and I explained. He said it was showing well and he was off down there and convinced me to have another go. So, after watching Gannets diving for a while, off we went back to Marazion! The conversation with the chap at Pendeen had put a bit of sparkle back and I put some effort in. The camera had been redundant all morning anyway so I grabbed my bins and the scope and with the Abbot in tow with his camera and bins off we went. A couple told me “it’s in that flock there”… Another chap had his scope on it. Then, a DOG! Flushed! We proceeded to follow them up and down the beach about five times when finally I was settled on what looked to me like the Baird’s. I asked the couple who were still next to me, explaining where I was and the chap said “YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS – that’s it… you got it! Phewwwww. My day list hit 54 surprisingly. We finished off with a scout around Par and I took my camera this time.
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