Godwit Revisited

I'd originally gone with the Green Sandpiper as my main shot but I've now relegated it to an extra, as the Black Tailed Godwit is just such a nicer shot, despite my having featured Godwits on Monday.

By a process of deduction I've came to the conclusion that the extra was a Green Sandpiper, there were a couple of them feeding on the shore, but they never got close enough for me to be able to picture them together.  They were surprisingly difficult to spot, despite the bright white feathers below.

The Common Sandpiper has a white crescent in front of the wing, which this bird lacks.  The strong pale line of feathers above the bill to the eye are also indicative, and the greenish legs also help to confirm the ID.  

I've a day of medical appointments tomorrow, and I have to get the motorbike MOT'ed on Friday, so this is probably the last wildlife photo for a few days.  The medical appointments are routine, but somehow they've all come up on the same day.  

The local GP practice insist on an annual checkup notwithstanding that they get all the results from my more frequent (and thorough) visits to Southmead to see the Kidney specialist.  It seems that, notwithstanding that they neighbour each other, the 2 different health trusts are unable to share data, so its easier for the local GP to spend the money on blood tests for me than to have someone retype the data into their system.  

But it does mean that my GP and the clinical trials team all want to take blood from me on the same day, which I'm less than enamoured about.  The clinical trial is voluntary on my part, the GP's requirements a result of NHS financial constraints.  It is not the GP's fault, rather just the way the system works, but it is frustratingly unnecessary.