The final day of the challenge was here but it was quite clear that I wasn’t going to win this year as there was no mud around for any waders to drop in and a lack of any movement/decent weather for things to be moving. That said just before I left home I received a text from Ian Williams saying he’d just found a pair of Whinchat at Rushy Meadow. This was his first at the reservoirs for roughly 10 years and would be my first on patch.
Whinchat
Upon arrival I headed round to Rushy Meadow and quite quickly got onto the female
Whinchat. It took another minute or so before I laid eyes on the stunning male. I can’t remember the last time I saw a spring male with its glorious orange frontage. Ian joined me and while trying to get a photo he said what’s that? I looked up and there was a
Marsh Harrier flying above the trees with a
Red Kite. Ian managed some photos before it dropped behind the trees. We headed to the hide in the hope it’d appear again but after an hour or so there was no sign so I went back for more
Whinchat action.
Wheatear
As I was watching them James Reader turned up to look at them (nice to finally meet you James) so I got them in my scope for him as they’d flown to the far end of the hedge. Other birders turned up and whilst trying to find them again I found a
Wheatear in the same hedge. This was my first here for a few years.
I finished the weekend on 85 species which is 5 less than last year and I was a whopping 25 points behind the eventual winner Phil Ball at Amwell and Rye Meads. Thanks again to all the organisers for an enjoyable weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment