Another lifer Semipalmated Plover at Hayling Island.

We missed out on sat as Brian had to work ? . Jimmy & myself talk about going to Hemsted Forest in Kent for the Parrot Crossbill, but with the weather looking bad we decide against going & hope to get out with Brian on Sunday.
We get the text at 5 am to meet up at 6 am, the target for the day is in Hampshire on Hayling Island the reported Semipalmated Plover.
So off we go for the 120 odd mile trip, on arrival we head to Milford first to look for the Red-breasted Goose, we give it some time looking for it at the reported place but it is not seen.
The Long-billed Dowitcher comes on the pager, it is only 10 minutes away from us , so of we head to Keyhaven Lagoon & soon meet up with the  people that had just put it on the pager, alas the bird had just flown away from the spot that they had reported it from, they seem to think it is still somewhere on the Fishtail Lagoon, so we give it a good few hours going to Butts & then back again to Fishtail Lagoons, I don't know how far we walked in search of the bird but the legs felt heavy after going up & down the stone walkway trying to keep out of the strong wind, in the end we have to give up & we head back to see the R-b Goose that has just been seen back at Milford.
A sign at the top of the road that we had just come down said the road was shut, we take no notice & head back to the bridge that we came over this morning, then we find out why the road is shut, the sea had washed all over the road making it impassable, but that was where the Goose was right in front of us, so we got away with it & many other drivers did the same as us so we don't feel to guilty about it
We head to Hayling Island now thinking maybe we have spent to much time looking for the other birds & will miss any chance of seeing what we really came here for, as we drive the good old pager goes off. to say it was on the beach again, we are 50 miles away & the weather is not looking to good but we have to give it a go.
We get there & see a few birders getting back in their cars, the words are spoken is it still about, the answer is yes but the sea has started to lap over the flock that it is with.
We run down the beach as fast as the old legs will go these days, come to think of it I got there before the two younger fit boys, always could out run them.
The bird is still there, so a quick look in  a fellow's scope already set up just to make sure not to miss it.
With the bird ticked we move down where the main group have set up to get a better view, we are not able to get a photo as it's a nasty day now & it's such a small bird in with all the Dunlin & some Ringed Plover it's hard to see, in the scope it's a great view, this is another lifer for all three of us.
Year tick 261 & my 300 life tick. We think it's time to head home before the rain comes, to late we are about to get the biggest soaking of our life's as a mini Tornado has hit the Island, we got so wet Brian had to find some golfing bottoms to change into before we could drive home.

Turnstone

Just some of the mad people just about to get drenched.

Somewhere in there is our lifer.