Cresswell Semipalmated

Early evening today saw me head out to Cresswell Pond with SH, DMcK and MH in search of the Semipalmated Sandpiper.
When we arrived at the car park next to the causeway we were amazed to see only a handful of birders on the causeway.
This made us think that the bird had flown off and when we got to the causeway we found out that it had but fortunately only to the sandbar in front of the hide.
We went to the hide to get a good view, as it was hard from the causeway in the wind.
It didn’t take much scanning through the Dunlin flock until we found the Semipalmated Sandpiper- Lifer, asleep on the back of the sandbar.
It was a lot smaller in comparison to the Dunlins surrounding it and it was being blown around like a treetop as it tried to sleep on one leg.
All the birds on the sand soon flew off and the Dunlin flock landed north of the causeway again.
As we were leaving the hide a female Sparrowhawk flew from the edge of the hide, this had been the bird, which had scared the waders onto the sandbar in the first place.
When we got back to the causeway we could see the Semipalmated Sandpiper wading through the mud on the shoreline.
As it moved its feet from the mud brief glimpses of the palmation on its feet could be seen, apparently.
Also a Spotted Redshank was on the edge of the spit on the far bank.