Sunday 30 October 2011

GREAT WHITE EGRET HUNT SUN 30TH OCT 2011




I won't beat about the bush, I didn't find it, the Gt White Egret that is. It's most likely moved on, my dip will soon become somebody else's tick when it pitches up somewhere new.

Anyway I still saw some quite nice bits and pieces this morning, including several small flocks of Fieldfares which were seen and heard over and in the sunken marsh as well as a few very shy Redwings in the SW corner.

Having given up on the Great White I decided to have a river watch from the small wood, thankfully the black bucket was still there and provided me with a (nearly) comfortable seat for the next hour or so. During this time some of the birds I saw included, six Skylarks which flew overhead in ones and twos. Two Little Egrets who fished on the river in the company of the ever present Grey Herons. A Sparrowhawk hunting briefly and unsuccessfully over towards the north downs. A single Redshank, the first i've seen for a while probing the mud and successfully extricating long worms which it ate with apparent relish. A flock of Long-tailed Tits cheerfully working their way along the trees behind me, where a couple of Bullfinches also called and a small group of nine Lapwings, who floated in and inspected the area in front of me before landing briefly and then heading off downstream again. It was too grey and dark for photos, how many times will I say that over the next five months or so. But since there are currently loads of Mallards on the river, here's one I took earlier, as they say.

5 comments:

Warren Baker said...

You're right Phil, photo's will be hard to come by at times for the foreseeable future!

I'd love a Redshank here, no habitat for it, but one might fly over one day i suppose :-) Keep at it mate, despite the gloomy weather!

Bob Bushell said...

Shame that you couldn't get the Great White Egret, still, it would be nice for having a walk.

Greenie said...

Phil ,
Shame the GWE decided not to stay in the area , but as you say , you managed to find some good species from your bucket .
And reported in the Blue Peter style .

Marianne said...

Bad luck about the GWE. But it sounds like a nice walk anyway. Hope there will be a few sunny photograph-friendly days over the winter, or I might have to move to New Zealand...!

Alan Pavey said...

Lets' hope the Egret doesn't like where it pitches up and heads back to New Hythe!! Maybe a tad optimistic I know!!