Our next trip.

On Thursday we fly off to the USA to visit Cameron Parish and the 'Rice Country' of Louisiana which are wader hotspots for birds returning from the south.

So what species can we expect to see there? Well, there are some exciting birds awaiting us (we hope), especially from a European birder's perspective. With the help of some excellent information that has been sent to us by Paul Lehman we should be able to find the following new birds for our quest:

American Oystercatcher;

American Oystercatcher, RS, Brazil.

American Golden Plover;

American Golden Plover, SP, Brazil

Hudsonian Godwit;

Hudsonian Godwit, SP, Brazil.

Upland Sandpiper;

Photo of a bird on the Isles of Scilly, UK: Jim Lawrence

Solitary Sandpiper;

Solitary Sandpiper, BA, Brazil

Semipalmated Sandpiper;

Semipalmated Sandpiper, CT, USA.

Baird's Sandpiper;

Baird's sandpiper, Norfolk UK.

Pectoral Sandpiper;

Pectoral Sandpiper, SP, Brazil

Buff-breasted Sandpiper;

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, SP, Brazil.

Wilson's Phalarope.

Wilson's Phalarope, SP, Brazil.

A mouthwatering collection. Hopefully we'll see them better than some of the above photos! In any case some of them should be, partially at least, donning their summer mantle. Frankly, we can't wait!

On the Saturday the 27th we will be attending a meeting of the Louisiana Ornithological Society and they have kindly arranged that we will be able to give a presentation about Wader Quest. Also, as there will be so many knowledgeable and experienced birders gathered together we will be well placed to glean some local 'gen' to help us find the birds we are looking for. This promises to be an exciting re-introduction to the travelling element of Wader Quest.