Arrival of some Rarities 

It never ceases to amaze me that whilst reading all the popular bird -guides written by some of the best ornithologists around, that birds don't seem to pay any attention to what most guides are telling us,especially birds that are not supposed to migrate on the various routes passing through Turkey.

   Whimbrel 

Some of the species of bird I am talking about that have arrived on my patch over the past 3 years are the Whimbrel (pic above),Broad -billed sandpiper (pic below),Sanderling,and the Grey Plover.We are told that these birds overfly large regions with relatively few staging areas on their way to Hungary,Russia with the Sanderling coming in from as far away as Sri Lanka;and yet these great -looking waders drop in to stock up on crustaceans to build up their body fat for the onward journey.

  Broad billed sandpiper 

Another peculiarity is that these particular waders only stop over whilst migrating North which leads us to believe that an alternative route South bypasses our area,or is that just me speculating again. Which leads us on to thinking how accurate the bird -guides are when these birds decide to drop in and give us a very welcome visit.

  Grey Plover

  Sanderling