The most wader-ful time of the year

Nationally important numbers of Purple Sandpipers now present 

Impressive Turnstone numbers recorded today 

Oystercatchers very evident

Monday 20th August comments: It’s been another busy but enjoyable day on the Farnes as the sun continues to shine and the flat, calm seas remain. As well as our usual work on the islands, the team participated in a complete wader count of all the islands (all 18 of them) as part of the national Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) organised by the BTO.

WeBS are carried out monthly at high tide (the best time to count waders) and as we are experiencing peak wader passage at this moment, we knew it wouldn’t be dull. Some impressive totals were accumulated especially Turnstone and Purple Sandpipers, with a few highlights thrown into the mix including five Greenshanks.

All island totals: Golden Plover 632, Turnstone 887, Purple Sandpiper 225, Oystercatcher 257, Greenshank 5, Bar-tailed Godwit 5, Common Sandpiper 4, Green Sandpiper 1, Redshank 12, Knot 22, Curlew 123, Whimbrel 19 and Dunlin 23.  Impressive!