Ringed Little Ringed Plover

On Tuesday I had to pop down to Poole and intended to spend an hour at Middlebere on the west side of the harbour, but the pleasant weather and Easter school holidays meant that traffic was awful, so I headed back and decided to pop into Blashford lakes near Ringwood which was at least halfway home. The Tern hide was revealing very little anywhere close, but some other birders provided pleasant conversation to pass the time. I had a Ringed Plover pointed out to me and found a Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Goldeneye, Black tailed Godwit, Goosander, nesting Lapwing, probable White Wagtail, and various other species myself. It was interesting without being remarkable until the stars of the show flew over to take centre stage in front of the hide..

3 Little Ringed Plovers hit the shoreline a few feet away, a pretty obvious pair and one extra for good measure. The female of the pair settled down in a small scrape, and the male danced around bobbing up and down and calling

I noted that the male was wearing some bling on its right leg, and blow ups of these photos revealed part of the number which thanks to John Clark is identified as a male ringed as a nestling at a nearby site in 2004. I was expecting amorous activity after all this showing off, but both seemed to lose interest

Meanwhile the single bird wandered along the shoreline in front of me affording great close view, and I wonder if the pale patch around the ear coverts would suggest to a more informed birder than I, a first year bird

While all this was going on, a pair of Little Grebes were bathing between the roosting poles, a seemingly unnecessary activity for a bird that spends so much time underwater, but fun to watch all the same