SHOVELER

Non-breeding male, my online ID guide says. I took this through the café window at RSPB Saltholme, hence the not-very-sharpness. I'd been sitting there having a quiet coffee when someone spotted a Wood Sandpiper, rare apparently, judging by the interest, a long way away in some reeds. The area beside my table seemed to have the best view of it so I was surrounded by the scopes and long lenses. I saw it, but would never have noticed that it was different from several other waders, especially at that distance, and it was too far for my camera. Anyway, my quiet coffee break turned into something else, though it was interesting chatting to some of the real enthusiasts.