DOTTEREL AT THE SEASIDE! 08-07-10

Had a message on my phone to say that a DOTTEREL had been seen at Crimdon Dene today so after work I whizzed down as fast as I legally (liar) could. I was actually due a visit here anyway to see the LITTLE TERN colony, so I hoped to kill two birds with one stone! I'd only ever seen Dotterel once before, at Danby Beacon last year so was hoping for an excellent county tick. On arrival I headed straight to the fenced off Tern colony and had excellent views of the Little Terns, along with a few Ringed Plovers. Target number one complete. I then headed for the beach and started to walk north as that was where the Dotterel was last reported. Luckily, two guys with scopes were walking towards me and told me the bird was still around, and one of them kindly put his scope up and showed me where it was. Very nice of him! It only took 5 minutes to get to where the bird was, and I enjoyed outstanding close views for a good half hour before some horse riders got a bit too close and scared the bird off. It seemed to head toward the Tern colony but I decided to head home and get some tea! I was delighted to see this species again, its one of my favourite waders. It would be nice if it was annual sighting!