Dotterel on Ward’s Stone Summer 2000

We have already had an atmospheric version of Ward's Stone from Jean Roberts in the very first Newsletter.  The following information, based on several years of observation or lack of it, may help observers to connect.

Choose a date in late April (if there have been reports from other sites, as in 2000), or prior to about the 12^th May.   Choose a calm day, preferably with an easterly sector airflow and be prepared to spend some time on the summit.  Take a camera with you just in case, as they are frequently confiding.   Ideally, set off from Jubilee Tower around 0800hrs, aiming to arrive at the summit in the region of 0930hrs..   If it is breezy at Jubilee, it will probably be blowing a gale on the top and you are almost certainly wasting your time.  I know of no sightings when the plateau has been windswept.  You are advised not to leave valuables in your car at this site.

On reaching the summit, the first thing which will strike you is the vast area of plateau with suitable Dotterel habitat.  It might be an idea to scan around from the first (north-western) trig. point as a starting point, then work the edges of the plateau, making sure you check as far to the east as the pile of stones mid-way between the two trig. points.  This is where it is advisable to go up in a small group.  Conversely, from a recording point of view, it would be most useful if people spread themselves over a series of dates during the passage period.  All the Dotterel, as far as I am aware, were on the eastern side of the access track in 2000, but this has not been the case in previous years.   Please could you take a mobile with you and phone any positive news in as soon as possible.  Thanks.

Were the 2000 birds nice and easy to twitch?  No way.  It appeared that the lure of the likes of Ingleborough to the north-east was too much for many groups and they moved on.   For example, it appears that the 3 in the afternoon on 7/5 was a separate flock from the 8 in the morning.  Several of us 'dipped out' on the 27/4 birds by a matter of minutes, probably sometime during the half hour or so the wind had started to 'kick' from the south-west.  The 5 on 30/4 did not fly in until 1045am and were rather fortunately still available in late afternoon, the only ones known to have been 'twitched'.  Even then, they had a 'trial run' at flying off high to the north east, before landing near the northern trig. point.

It needs to be emphasised that they can be very elusive amongst the slightly undulating ground to the east of the access track across the summit.  The five on 30/4 were particularly elusive and searching time on the plateau before discovery amounted to:  Bill Cross (one hour on his own) and later a group of five of us (45 minutes combing back and forth).  Single birds can be very elusive and there was a scenario a few years ago whereby I discovered three on the far eastern side of the plateau (after about 1.5 hours search) and other birders discovered a separate three (sex ratios) on the far western side.  We never saw each other birds!

After you have searched and possibly drawn a blank, providing it is calm, warm(ish) and relatively clear visibility, I would sunbathe for an hour or two to see if any fly in.  As already mentioned, this happened with the 'twitchable 5' on 30/4 and apparently with the 3 (after the 8 had departed) on 7/5.

There have been three instances of flocks seen in flight only and in all cases the trilling calls first drew attention; very different, of course, from the resident Golden Plover, which are frequently flying about.   Please be careful to avoid trampling Golden Plover eggs and chicks.

One final thought.   Preliminary investigation suggests that there were only 3 blank days in 2000, which implies that several promising days remained unrecorded.  Almost certainly some flocks were missed.

Food for thought

Two pager-less people who had never seen Dotterel were separately informed, as the (rather late) news broke, that seven were to be 'had' the easy way i.e. in north Fylde lowland fields, visible from the car.  The completely separate replies were identical;  "Thank you but.... dinner is about to be served", even though they were nearer the birds than I (out at Silverdale at the time) and could make it in daylight.   Very odd behaviour, I thought, putting dinner before a new species and a nice one at that.   As for me, I got lost (Cogies and Eaglands mixed up) and arrived in semi-darkness with vague outlines of  'a moving supercilium', or was it the inside of a hare's ear?  On arriving home, should I really have been eating a main meal at 10.45pm, just prior to going to bed?  Should I instead have tried to make last order(s) at the pub, currently going through a spell of lawful opening hours?  So are birders who drop 'voluntary family activities', such as eating, in order to see a new species before it goes dark (on a clear "wont be there the following morning" night) selfish or 'on the ball'?       Ed.

PS Two were seen distantly and very briefly early the following morning with the disappearing five perhaps the flock located on the top of nearby Ward's Stone.