Spotted Sandpiper at Corton below radar Lodge and Library Bee Orchids

On Monday 5th June, just after finishing dinner I had a call from Nick B saying he had just found a very special bird in a very awkward and almost inaccessible location. I rang back and incredibly he had found a summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper complete with spots! But it was very flighty and directly below Radar Lodge which had been fenced off because of the dangerous old sea wall and the crumbling cliffs! He advised parking near Beach road, walking down the road and then heading south for around 1000 metres, I did just that and promptly slipped over on a very green encrusted part of the path, no damage done but gingerly I got up (remember I had had a bad fall coming out oif the ditch where the Fly Orchids had been in deepest Suffolk. IA fence was barring access and carried on half way up the cliff, I grimly hung on to the fencing, handily for me there was a gap where I could put my big lenns and camera bag plus the scope and tripod, and feeling rather like a low budget Spiderman I clung on for dear life and just managed to get up halfthe cliff and over the otherside. At which point Nick arrived and took my scope tripod and camera bag, as I then had to balance on a wrecked part of the seawall walk along like a trapese walker and jump 4 feet onto another rock, this was certainly not for the faint hearted. I just about managed it and joined Nick, Andrew and Rob Wil who was just ahead of me. The Spotted sandpiper was feeding by the base of the cliff, the light was poor and the sea was rapidly coming in so we had 30 minutes max to see it. It then appeared from beyond a lump and showed reasonably well on and off for the next 30 minutes, very white below wiuth spots which were densest on the breast. A very striking bird! TBCand carried on there look along the North Beach revealed 2 summer plumaged Sanderling, saw Andrew E too. Tuesday 6th June, by carefully caging the Bee Orchids, I have saved them from certainly being squashed by a large crane than was just millimetres from them aover the past few weeks and working with our great estates team to make sure they are preserved and indeed celebrated. We had 2 last year, this year we have 4 and the original plant has now produced its first flower. I am offering all Hospital staff Bee Orchid safaris (very popular last year) and have already shown 5 people today!