A single at Horton Bank Reservoir, found by Terry McEvoy on his ‘local patch’ and reported to the Group, gave us a new addition to our specie’ list. It was watched scything the silt by many observers between 26th and 29th April.

After the disappointing spring passage of 1998, when only three birds were seen at just one site, hopes were high for a better 1999; but this was not to be, and in the event no birds were seen on Rombalds Moor at all, and just one on Round Hill, on 9th May.

After a gap of five years, it was a good find for the observer when four were on Rombald’s Moor on 3rd May. Another was found on 15th on the same moorland..

Recorded for the second successive year, though not at the traditional stopover point of Rombald’s Moor. Two males were found on 9th May at High Brown Knoll on Midgley Moor, just inside the Group recording area.

The year started well with a single recorded at Otley Gravel Pits on the 1st January. One flew south over Cold Edge Dams on 20th September. Another was noted at Leeming Reservoir on the 11th November.

There were four records after a blank year, all single birds on autumn migration. They were seen at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 21st August, and 28th and 30th September, and Denholme Clough on 2nd October.

Most of our records are of birds flying over, and the two in 2006 were so referable. Both related to autumn migration, when singles passed Denholme Clough on 2nd October, and Timble Ings on the 18th.

Most records of this species come from the south of the recording area, and in the latter part of the year. Both applied this year, when Warley Moor Reservoir had two birds on 29th October, until flushed by a Merlin, and one on Christmas Eve.

Sanderling is by no means annual, so five records are very welcome, and the minimum six birds seen in total represents the best year since 1996. All the reports came from Thornton Moor Reservoir, by far the area’s most reliable site for the species, and initially there were two birds on 20th May. The remaining sightings occurred in an excellent 12 day period from 27th July, when an adult bird was found, and was still present on the following day. Two birds, possibly including the original one, were there on the 29th, and a different juvenile/1st-winter bird two days later, to be followed by another adult on 7th August.

A welcome addition to the Group’s last and arguably THE bird of the year, it was present at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 2nd September during the evening. The same bird was briefly early the following morning.

The presence of a single juvenile at Chelker Reservoir on 28th and 29th September was obviously associated with the same meteorological conditions that induced the influx of Little Stints into the Group’s area.

A timely drop in the water levels at Thornton Moor Reservoir produced a good crop of waders on autumn passage, including this species, not recorded since 1999. On 1st September, four birds arrived with Dunlin and departed shortly afterwards, and another two, both juveniles, were seen the following day.

The Group has done well to have two records of this coastal species. This second one concerns a 1st-winter bird found on Soil Hill on 12th November, and which, despite appalling conditions, was still present the next day.

Several excellent years for this species seem to have come to an end, due in large part to landfill operations at Soil Hill rendering this site far less attractive to the birds. Whilst one claim came from here, it cannot be included, in the absence of a description. As it is, all the records emanate from Otley Wetland, and two or three at least might refer to the same bird. A single was flushed on 4th January, and again on 7th February, and some two weeks later. After a gap of just over three weeks, another bird was seen on 15th March.

As last year, all the verified records came from Soil Hill, where apparently different migrants were located on 10th, 12th and 19th October, and 2nd and 13th November.

Three records is about an average showing, though only one came from Soil Hill: a bird on 22nd November. The others were singles at Marley on 9th January and 29th December

Three records of this species in the recording area is a good showing. The first of these involved two birds at Otley Wetland on 2nd May, and the other two reports both came from John o’ Gaunt’s Reservoir. A single bird was present there on 23rd July, and around three weeks later four birds were seen.

For the second successive year, there were three records. A spring migrant was found at Otley Wetland on 22nd April, and just over two months later, return passage was evident, with the discovery of a party of seven birds on 26th June at Farnhill Ings. These showed characteristics of the Icelandic race L.I.islandica. The final report was of a bird seen over Oxenhope on 26th September.

This year there were two more records than of the preceding species, although two of them are likely to refer to the same birds. Otley Wetland produced all but one of the reports. On 22nd January one flew over, but all the remaining records were in May. A good total of eight birds were present on the 1st, and what were almost certainly the same birds were seen at Bolton Abbey later in the day. The following day there were two birds, and this productive period concluded with another on the 7th.

With only four records, and a total of five birds, 2006 was the quietest year since 1987, despite good shoreline conditions during the autumn migration period. The sole spring report was a calling bird over Lower Barden Reservoir on 21st May. Autumn relocation commenced with two birds at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 6th August, but produced nothing else until the 23rd, when a bird overflew Wilsden, and one was seen on the 31st with Curlews on Soil Hill

On 3rd May, single migrants overflew Timble Ings and Thornton Moor Reservoir, and one passed Marley Hall Farm on 13th June. In July, there was another at Thornton Moor on the 25th.

Only three records displays the pattern applicable to many other waders this year. The reasons are, hopefully, exceptional, but, sadly, 2007 was the worst year on record for the species. The one spring record was a bird at Otley Wetland on 22nd April, and autumn passage’s contribution was one passing Draughton Heights on 16th July. However, the gloom was pierced by a rare winter report of a single at Warley Moor Reservoir on 9th December.

A slight improvement on last year, but still only a few birds were seen. Thornton Moor had singles on 25th July and 24th August, and the others were at Kex Gill Quarry on 22nd August and Doe Park Reservoir on 21st September.

This species is not as dependent as many other waders on reservoir shorelines, being able to use quite small wet areas, and is probably why the eight records buck the general trend, and are about average. Wintering birds are always a good find, and one such was seen at Stockbridge Reserve on 3rd January. The one spring record was a bird at Lindley Wood Reservoir on 24th April, and Airedale then provided all but one of the year’s remaining records, all of single birds. In August, sightings came from Silsden Ings on the 2nd, and Stockbridge on the 26th, which site weighed in with another on 20th October. This bird was probably also the one seen nearby at Marley the following day, but one there on 25th November was likely to have been different. The only report away from this general area came from Scargill Reservoir, where a bird was found on 3rd September.

A single adult summer plumaged bird skulking in a pool on the south-west shore of Thornton Moor Reservoir was flushed by police dogs during the mid-afternoon of 12th May. Fortunately this bird remained at the site feeding on the shore until late evening.

A superb summer-plumaged adult was found at Elland Gravel Pits on 31st May and was last reported on 2nd July. The bird was thought to be a female and was even observed copulating with a Common Sandpiper which kept it close company during most of its stay.

A reasonable year started with a bird, presumably the same one, at Otley Wetland on 7th and 8th May, and a good total of four birds at Warley Moor Reservoir three weeks later . As in 2005, autumn passage also produced a bird, seen at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 1st August.