Red Knot - Middleton Moor

 Usually just referred to as Knot in the UK as it's the only Knot which regularly occurs here and the vast majority seen in Britain are in the grey none breeding plumage but this bird, which has been at Middleton Moor for a couple of days now, is in breeding plumage and you can see why it gets its name.

Knot

There are only a handful of records each year in Derbyshire so it's a rare visitor to the County. 

I also had a female Ring Ouzel there yesterday which is my first of the year and always great to see.

Ring Ouzel -female

Knot at Middleton Moor

I've made several visits to Middleton Moor recently in the hope of seeing something a little different and yesterday I was rewarded with a lone Knot stood amongst the Lapwings. Plentiful on our coastal estuaries it's a scarce bird inland but unfortunately it didn't stay long. The Lapwing were disturbed and it left high to the south with them. 

Knot with Lapwing