The air is getting clearer and the visibilty is getting better and better, above shows the mountains in the distance from the Tundra pools near the hotel where the 3 Pectoral Sandpiper's are currently present (see below)
I managed to get a set of photos of this male Pectoral Sandpiper and this bird went in to a pre coppulating song at times (photo below) there were 2 females always in the grass close by. Also another 4 Pec's flew through and then this evening whilst I was watching another Pec in another area of the Tundra marsh a flock of 54 Pec's flew in and down on to the Tundra. I suspect that they had just came in off the frozen sea and I guess that they have been flying over the pack ice for some time before reaching here. Never thought Id see a flock of Pec Sand's that size. Watching these birds feeding and getting active was just a real cool/nice moment. Just laying there in the Tundra so close to these birds was a great.
After returning from the Marsh and this cracking Pectoral Sandpiper. I was interviewed and questioned by the KGB services. We were taken in to a room and our laptops and cameras were inspected as was each photo. That is all I am going to say here on the subject for legal reasons but it wasn't a nice experience..
Late afternoon we were allowed to leave the building and so I went for a stroll out on the marsh and the Tundra is coming alive with Birds. I had 7 Pacific Golden Plovers, 6 Ruff, the flock of 54 Pectoral Sandpiper's, a Wood Sandpiper (my first for the spring as I was away when the 6 were present on Vange back home) 2 Arctic & 1 Long Tailed Skua, Short eared Owl, 2 Rock Ptarmigan, 210+ Black Brants and I thought I heard a distant Red Knot. The snow is melting fast and the Tundra really is starting to smell nice and fresh and I found myself just sitting on a tussock watching the Waders fly in from a frozen sea which was a spectacular sight. Ok, I am going to leave it here for today and I just wanted to share the Pec photo's with you.
