I am finally starting to get back to somewhere approaching normality. Today, after all the activities of the last few weeks which has included the birth of a granddaughter, my other son’s wedding, a broken collarbone and subsequent operation and a visit from my sister from the USA, I was free to birdwatch. I decided after dropping my wife to do her shift on the neonatal unit, to travel to Davidstow Airfield to see if I could get a look at the Bairds Sandpiper seen there recently. It was just 50 miles from here so not too far. When I eventually got there, I drove on to the field which is now common land and searched the grass in between the defunct runways for even a sign of a bird. Needle in a haystack sprang to mind but after a bit of searching and detective work, that is basically asking other car inhabitants I found a little group of Dunlin and  Ringed Plover and was happy taking some great photos. Suddenly this group was joined by what was obviously a Bairds Sandpiper. lighter, more distinctly marked and well, just so clearly different to the Dunlins which I was afraid I would confuse it with.  Using the car as a hide I took shot after shot and got a few that made me happy. In the knowledge that a picture speaks a thousand words here a some of them. Take a peek at the map and you can see that the bird’s usual range.