For quite a while, my only sightings of Whimbrels were very distant; either a group out in the middle of a large field or, on one occasion, a pair flying in off the sea at Barton.

However, during a walk at Keyhaven, this solitarly bird was grazing (foraging would probably be a better word since it was finding worms rather than eating the grass!). It was still there when we returned an hour later.

In July 2007 we were surprised to come across the bird pictured below on the rocks below the cliff here at Barton. The bird did look a bit lost and would fly a wide circuit over the sea, alighting a little further west each time.