Monkbretton Ruffs
From Monkbretton Bridge (New Road, Rye) this afternoon, looking north I could see the wintering Common Sandpiper on the river mud by the railway bridge, and looking south 10 small waders busily feeding with Lapwings in the field between the old primary school and the river. They didn’t look like the expected Redshanks, even less like Golden Plover, and one seemed to have a whitish head and orange legs … so I got closer, along the cycle path, and sure enough they were Ruff - the largest and palest clearly a male, the rest mostly or all females. Perhaps they had come over from Castle Water? Anyway, new for my home tetrad TQ92F and almost a house tick!
