Britain's first mainland Killdeer for over 10 years was found in Hampshire in late January.
Unfortunately it meant another long drive south for a dawn start on a cold winters morning. Luckily the forcasted rain didn't materialise and it was dry and sunny at the location where the North American wader was found the previous day - Ripley Farm Reservoir, a slighlty odd area adjacent to a pig farm.
Dawn by the pig farm
With around 20 birders present at dawn, and more arriving, there was no sign of the Killdeer for around 30 minutes before someone picked up a distant wader hunkered down from the wind. Eventually the bird stood up and confirmed itself as the Killdeer, giving really nice, although distant, views on the far bank.
The bird fed for an hour in the same area, never coming closer, before being flushed and flying west. Five minutes later it was back in the same location to the relief of the regular stream of visitors arriving.
It had been a fairly straightforward twitch and nice to get a new bird chalked up for 2026!
Thanks for looking.
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