Spotting Sandpipers

Headed down to the Creek this morning, in the hope that the tide had dropped enough to allow for me to cross - it hadn't.
Looks like a terrible week for me, with high water both in the mornings and evenings. Thinking about what birds might be out there, undetected, could keep me awake at night!
So, apart from a couple of nice fresh mozzie nibbles, it was pretty unremarkable. A single juv spotted sandpiper was on the sluiced creek adjacent to the gravel pathway, but that was it as far as waders were concerned.
A lovely Wilson's warbler came by and gave me good views, as it searched for insects in the buddleia.

With 20 minutes to spare before heading off to work, I dropped in for a quick scan at the estuary at the end of Raines Rd. 3 more spotted sandpiper were on the river but again it was pretty quiet. A pair of California gulls were sat out on a log in the estuary. I really should have stayed in bed another hour...

Given the tides (and the need to get a casserole in the oven), I gave myself an evening off Holden Creek duties. By 8 o'clock however, I was getting itchy feet, so I headed over to Quennel Lake to see what was happening there.
More than I expected, to be honest, but still not much! Lots of barn swallows, but sadly no nighthawks, were feeding over the water. I did hear a whinney-ing sora, which was a first for me here.
2 bald eagles, an osprey and a merlin were doing the rounds. On the water was a lone hooded merganser, and a beaver. Yet another spotted sandpiper was creeping along an exposed edge.