SPOTTED SANDPIPER!!! - 24.6.12

Late morning and I was sat reading the paper when I recieved a call from Tony Blake saying he had just found a Spotted Sandpiper at Hilfield and was I nearby to come have a look! 15 minutes later and I was watching the bird but frustratingly it was fairly distant and facing away so all I could see was a Common Sandpiper looking bird but with paler upperparts before it started chucking it down with rain and the bird dropped onto the bank and out of view. A few minutes later it popped back on top of the damn but shot round to the other side of the bridge. A couple of other key holders arrived and slowly we walked up to the bridge and viewed from there. Another few minutes wait and the finder saw it fly to the SW corner of the reservoir and the rest of us watched it there for just under 5 minutes noting even at that distance the obvious orange bill. Then without warning it flew off low over the water eastwards. Whilst flying I noted the white wing bar was restricted and finished short of the inner wing (an ID feature for Spotted Sandpiper). It was lost to view near the East bank and as of yet hasn't been seen again.