Thanks. I didn't think it was a Semipalmater sandpiper, that was Google 😊 I thought a Sanderling was also unlikely, although I did not know about the hind toe. Not sure why I discounted a Dunlin, it just didn't look right at the time, although the photo does look a good match.

Oops, thanks.

I thought it was a muntjac at the time, but when I was looking at the photos, I convinced myself it wasn't😞

Bewick's [Tundra] Swan (Cygnus columbianus) swimming in dark water. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

Bewick's [Tundra] Swan (Cygnus columbianus) swimming serenely by.

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Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) standing on some large dying leaves with a shingle beach in the background. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

Who doesn't live a Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), this one foraging on the beach.

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[Northern] Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) flying nearly upside down. One wing is vertical and the other horizontal, but inverted. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

[Northern] Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) flying nearly on its side. Both wings are vertical, one up and one down. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

[Northern] Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) behaving very strangely, trying to fly upside-down.

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[Eurasian] Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) facing away, with its tail rained and its eyes closed, singing loudly with a wide-open bill. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

[Eurasian] Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), being rude.

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Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis) sideways on, with its head down, rooting around in autumnal fallen leaves. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

I think this is a Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis), at Minsmere RSPB in the early morning.

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Thanks. That appears to be the consensus.

Thanks. I'll have to try to study some more of them.

Thanks. Dunlin was Merlin's first choice, but it didn't look quite right to me. Maybe I was hoping for something more exciting. (But not hopeful enough to look at the picture sooner, rather than waiting three weeks!)

I probably should have tagged #SuffolkBirding / #SuffolkBirds / @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social for some local knowledge.

(I'm about as good at Social Media as I am at Bird ID.)

Yes.
Google suggested Sanderling, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper.
Merlin suggested Sanderling and Dunlin.
None of them look quite right, but I am probably wrong.

A mystery bird, possibly a sandpiper, feeding on some mud with water in the background. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

A mystery bird, possibly a sandpiper, walking on some mud with water in the background. Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

Any ideas what this bird is, seen at Minsmere RSPB at the beginning of the month? At the time I thought it looked like a sandpiper, still unsure what kind or if it is something completely different, sadly very distant and poor pictures!

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[Common] Redshank (Tringa tetanus) from behind about to land on wet mud, with its wings angled and one leg outstretched. Iken Cliff, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

Another [Common] Redshank (Tringa tetanus) coming in to land.

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[Common] Redshank (Tringa tetanus) flying by showing its underwing and flared, barred tail. Iken Cliff, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

A [Common] Redshank (Tringa tetanus) flying by.

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Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) in golden early morning sunlight, walking around a muddy estuary, with mud on feet and bill. Iken Cliff, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

More from Suffolk. A Black-tailed Godwit in the early morning sunshine, having a muddy breakfast.

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Yes. I have not seen one that close for a few years and had forgotten how smart they look. I was lucky to see one in the summer once, when they are even better as you can see the spots 😊

Spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) standing on a small island, showing its red legs Dingle Marshes, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

And another to prove a Spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) really has shanks that are red!

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Spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) walking through deep water Dingle Marshes, Suffolk, UK. December 2024

I have found some time to start sorting through photos I took last weekend, in Suffolk. Starting with a Spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus)

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Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) on a rock beach with water and seaweed in the background. Burghead, Moray Firth, Scotland, UK. April 2024.

A Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) on the beach at Burghead, on the Moray Firth, Scotland. (Being so far south, it is probably a hybrid, x Carrion Crow, but looks good.)

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Slavonian [Horned] Grebe (Podiceps auritus) swimming on a loch. The grebe is facing the camera with its head down, showing off its bright yellow feather tufts (horns).

A Slavonian [Horned] Grebe (Podiceps auritus) on a Scottish loch, looking angry! (Or just looking for some food, coincidentally facing directly towards me, showing off his fiery horns.)

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European [Brown] Hare (Lepus europaeus) partially visible in the grass. Scotland, UK. April 2024.

And here is his cousin, a European [Brown] Hare (Lepus europaeus), trying to hide in some grass, in a lowland field.

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Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) in heather. The hare is brown with white ears. Scotland, UK. April 2024.

I don't just take photos of birds (only ~90%), and here is a Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus) to prove it 😆 Taken on high moorland in the Cairngorms.

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Many thanks, I'll try that. I can control my arrival, but not the wind (or sun)😀Last time I was there, it was blowing a hoolie. Two beardies popped up and were soon swept away by a gust before hunkering down, fifty feet further back.

Unedited image of a Black-throated diver, showing less sharpness than the main image.

I was fortunate that it swam very close. The image is about ~25% of a 45MP capture, giving PhotoShop lots of pixels to clean it up. (Although it doesn't look too bad uncropped with no noise reduction or sharpening.)

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) in a patch of snow, looking over its shoulder. Cairn Gorm Base Station, Scotland, UK. April 2024.

A portrait of one of the Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis).

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Nine Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) on a stone wall, with snow falling in the background. Cairn Gorm Base Station, Scotland, UK. April 2024.

It's not a surprise to see Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) in the snow in the Cairn Gorm Base Station car park! (No, that is not dust on the sensor 😆)

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I will be visiting Minsmere at the weekend. Any tips for taking such beautiful photos?

Distant Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) flying over heather. The white rump and banded tail are visible, but the rest blends with the brown heather. Scotland, UK. April 2024.

Final surprise from Scotland (for today) was a distant Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) hunting over a grouse moor. We watched it for many minutes, but it never came very close. Hopefully it didn't think we were there to persicute it.

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Thanks.