A late afternoon trip to Soil Hill started off depressing but ended with a grand finale thanks to an aerobatic display from 53 Goldies.
I started with a Snow Bunt and Snipe/ Woodcock hunt checking the northern slope and tree line followed by the west summit and Ned Hill track. So far nothing so on to the east summit and mounds, still with nothing other than 2 Corvids and several Common gulls.
As I was going to leave the east summit in despair I heard a familiar call and looking to the east were a flock of Golden Plovers high up and distant with a smaller flock of Lapwing below them.
The Lapwings went down on the Shay but the Goldies kept flying round ,lower now, but keeping at distance around the wind turbines where they flew through the blades several times .
They kept looking to land below the quarry works but appeared again flying around the same area before finally going down in the fields by the snicket from Perseverance Rd out of sight.
The main flock held 43 Goldies and there were 2 small break off groups of 6 and 4 which I gave a good coat of looking at in case they were of a different wader sp. but not to be.
A Sparrowhawk flew nearby but seemed a bit overwhelmed and moved on.
BS