Certainly Not Feeling Blue! - 13.4.15

White-Spotted Bluethroat

 

Currently at work we are having to do a one day a week course to gain a CPC licence to allow us to tow a trailer behind the vans despite us having one it for years! On a Monday we finish at 3pm but due to the course it was going to be a 4pm finish. That wasn't a problem until about 3.10pm when checking a tweet. The news made my heart race and sink at the same time. A male White-Spotted Bluethroat had been found at Amwell NR!! Luckily we got out a few minutes early so I drove to pick up my son who I was dropping of at my mums and shot over to Amwell. I arrived and parked up and there on the viewpoint was the Who's who of Herts birding! I was told where it had last been seen and so staked it out through my scope. Thankfully within 5 minutes out it popped showing off its beautiful bright blue throat. Over the next 90 minutes it only showed about a further 4-5 times which was a shame but it was on my list! It was only the 6th for Herts and the first to be twitchable. It was my 5th in the UK and my first away from the Isles of Scilly and my first in Spring. While I waited for the bird to show I had a quick scan around the reserve and noted 2 Black-Necked Grebe and a single Little Ringed Plover as well as 2 Little Egret.