After our Nightjar walk on Saturday evening I ventured out to Middlebere in the pitch darkness to record waders out of the Middlebere hide. The activity was incredible with birds arriving and leaving the whole time I was sat there. In the recording you can even here the birds feeding as their bills sift through the mud. Obviously, the other challenge recording in total darkness is knowing what you’re actually listening too. Having listened back to my recordings several times I’ve managed to pick out a number of species. The most obvious are Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew, the prior creating that constant chattering sound and the latter resonating that all to familiar Curlew like cry. The highlight was a Curlew Sandpiper (or possibly several) which you can hear doing its familiar trill like call at 0.24, 0.29, 0.43, 0.59 and 1.11. Also in the recording is a Water Rail (0.46), Redshank and Herring Gull. The recording is best listened to with headphones.