Long Billed Dowitcher

The Long Billed Dowitcher is a very rare sighting in the UK, with only a handful of them being spotted per year on average - usually in the Autumn or Winter season. This bird was spotted on South Lake at the Slimbridge Wetland Reserve in Gloucestershire on Monday 30th July 2012.

Long Billed Dowitchers breed in the far north of North America and in eastern Siberia, so spotting one in the UK during the breeding season may be indicative of the odd weather we've had this summer with the jet stream being further south.

Unfortunately the Dowitcher was a fair distance away and the sun was reluctant to show itself, so the pictures are a little compromised. The bird was amongst lots of Black Tailed Godwits which made spotting it difficult without expert help from more experienced twitchers. These pictures were taken with the Canon 100-400mm lens at F8.