Sunday 9 May 2010

A Sunday Morning Twitch.

As soon as I saw that Sunday morning might be fine I decided to go over to Clayhanger Marsh to see if the Hoopoe was still about.My last twitch was to go to Hereford a year or two ago for the Bee-eaters and they had been predated the day before so I was not confident the Hoopoe would be still there.

Parked up in Clayhanger just after 8.00AM in fine weather.I was not sure where to go exactly but I knew I had to cross the recreation ground and walk the path to a bridge over a stream.The good news was I found the bridge pretty easily but the bad news was there were no other birders about.Had it gone?????

After a while a birder appeared but he said he'd been there from 6.00AM and had searched everywhere and could not find it.Oh dear!!!!!!! A bit depressed I walked along the raised bank towards the slag heaps scanning as I went along.

I soon spotted 3 Wheatears and 2 Mistle Thrushes in the field near some gorse bushes.But what was that a bit to the left? Yes!! Yes!! it was the Hoopoe.A life tick.How good is that and it was me who had spotted that morning.

Soon a small group of birders enjoyed watching from the bank although to be fair it was a bit far off.Annoyingly not much later on 5 birders appeared from all directions actually in the field trying to get close (only one was a photographer).It of course flew off.It was found again a bit later but was even further away.

So what about some shots.Well I took some but because of the distance they are either crappographs or for record purposes only shots.For once as seeing the bird was more important that getting shots I don't really care.If you want to see some great shots of this bird go to Dave Hutton's Seeswood pools website.







6 comments:

Kevin Groocock said...

Nice one, Max - glad you found it. I would settle for any "crappograph" as I have never seen Hoopoe. I was tempted but time is not on my side!

Kevin Groocock said...

Meant to ask, Max, are you now going for the House Finch at Lands End?????

Julian Bielewicz said...

Max, like Kevin, I too would settle for a crappograph if it was for record purposes. Besides, a couple of your shots appear quite good to me.

Saw my first hoopoe in Poland many, many years agi.

Max Silverman said...

Thanks guys.I was chuffed to pieces to see it.

Kevin I was tired out driving to and from Clayhanger Marsh so a trip to Lands End would be a step too far for me.

Dave Hutton said...

Nice 1 Max!! & thanks for the plug on my blog!! by the way your Wagtail looks like a classic Blue-headed

Pete Walkden said...

Glad you caught up with it Max - definitely one for the collection. And the pics aren't bad!