Semi- P then No Migrants 22nd & 23rd Aug

On Sunday 19th August, hearing early afternoon of a Semi- P at Minsmere, having not seen one since August 1996 I was keen to see another. An hour and a half later I joined the throng in the south hide and seeing Paul, Jane, carl B et al. I was treated to views through Paul's cope of only my second ever Semi- palmated Sandpiper. Typically small stint- sized wader with short bill appearing slightly thicker at the base and tip. It showed a super cilia and speckled back. It spent the time running down the muddy strip directly in front of us running a third down the spit, it was to be the closest we saw it before it flew over to the spit further back. I watched it amongst 15 Little Gulls (all appeared to be adult in winter plumage, sat on the spit, plus a Spotted Redshank seen too. laterWednesday 22nd failed to reveal any migrants, 5 adult winter adult Mediterranean Gulls on the roof of Corton NSW and a Buzzard in a bush by a field just west of NSW. On Thursday 23rd August a look around Gunton failed to reveal Whinchats at Gunton or The North Denes, a Great- spotted Woodpecker seen in a tree and that was it.