? a flock of Sanderling at Hartlepool Headland

[david weatherill]

Today, around 2pm, I saw a group (perhaps c.100) of small waders resting on the rocks immediately off the promenade on Hartlepool Headland (several hundred yards north of the present renovation site). The birds looked like summer plumage Sanderlings, markedly white underneath extending to a rufous bib area, black bill and legs, and overall a little smaller than the few accompanying Turnstones. The dorsal area was heavily marked black/brown/chestnut whereas the heads were more rufous. They were facing northwards but mostly with the head and bill resting in the plumage (similarly positioned to how Knot frequently rest in the same location in winter). Could these be a group of Sanderling still migrating northwards?