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Highlights on the realignment area were confined to 3 Ruffs and singles of Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and Greenshank with 4 Common Buzzards closeby. Passerine migrants on the dunes were hardly showing in the strengthening wind, hence only a Common Whitethroat, a Common Redstart and at least 4 Long-tailed Tits.
After closer inspection of last week's Ruddy Shelduck record on the realignment area, I have determined that this bird was a hybrid. Initial head-on views showed only the buff on the head, but later much closer sightings revealed grey on the crown and nape that suggested that Cape Shelduck had contributed to its ancestral line. At least this would confirm the bird's captive origins. Whilst researching the hybridization of Shelducks, it was interesting to learn that some authorities still consider Ruddy and Cape Shelducks as conspecific.
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