If only......

 No jobs today and the weather forecast was good, so I decided to go to RSPB Saltholme area in the hope of adding to my year list. It was just after 9am when I arrived and managed to get the last seat in the Phil Stead hide. I presumed that everyone else there had gone to see the lesser yellow legs. It was a fair distance from the hide

not close like this redshank

The birds were startled by something and they flew a bit further away so I left to allow someone to sit down. Greatham Creek was my next stop.

This was the only seal I could see. Lots of waders about including this avocet

Grey and golden plover

As I walked down the path towards the hide at Seal Sands there were lots of goldfinches feeding close to the path.

Tick number two for the day was this long tailed duck, on one of the pools.

More seals on Seal Sands.

Hartlepool Headland was my next stop, but it was very quiet birdwise, I returned to Saltholme and went back to the Phil Stead hide, which was still full, and the lesser yellow legs was still in the distance, so I walked down to back Saltholme hide in search of tick number 3, a white fronted goose.

 I did eventually find the bird. IF only I had taken my scope, I am sure that I would have found it sooner. Just before I left the hide, a birder had located a bird of prey, but he was not sure if it was a hobby or a merlin. Having seen both this year, I left the hide and drove to Cowpen Bewlay Country Park. I had just sat down looking at the bird feeders when my phone alert sounded. It was Chris Downes. (chrisdownesbirds.com,) telling me that there was a message on Twitter reporting that there was a collared pratincole at Saltholme. I quickly returned to the reserve and walked down to the hide I had left about 20 minutes earlier. A couple of chaps in front of me were not walking as fast as I was, so I was glad that they went into the hide by the right hand door, so I went in the left hand door and sat down. I managed to locate the bird as it was flying about. It flew high and disappeared from view. In the discussions that followed it became apparent that this was the bird of prey that the birder had seen earlier. IF ONLY I had waited and looked for the bird, I too would have seen it on the ground. However it was my first life tick for this year.