Karin writes:
After moving house with the aid of the ‘go anywhere’ vestikhod, the unstoppable Russian Caterpillar, and a few good card games while waiting for it to arrive, the WWT team spent the afternoon cleaning and disinfecting what is to become the Incubation Facility.
Set up in a home that had kindly been vacated by a local family, the two Richards and two Lizes began with dustpan and brush before applying disinfectant to walls, floors and ceilings. The incubator room, which needs to be completely bio-secure, is treated to a double dose. When the first Spoon-billed Sandpipers arrive, the squad aims to be well ahead of the game: equipment and rooms clean, incubators tested and calibrated, and the facility in top shape to receive its precious charges.
Meanwhile the rest of the team continued to survey for birds passing by and settling onto the tundra, and explored the landscape in which the SbS will soon show up. Notable sightings today were over 150 Red-necked Phalarope, over 1000 Pomarine Skua, at least four White-billed Diver, and at the great lake, a Green-winged Teal.
