Collared Pratincole (Griffin Wildlife)
Distant Bitter
Great White Egret
Platform two
The lookout from the platform
Marsh Harrier
Camo-man
Suit-man
How are good birds found on a Sunday night ? When a Collared Pratincole was reported at Ham Wall (Somerset) time was always against a late evening visit. After being reported on Monday myself & Roland decided to take a half day on Tuesday and head down after lunch (Roland had to ensure the fish was in the fridge before leaving home apparently). A smooth journey listening to bell ringing stories & the band British Sea Power set us up for walk to the second viewing platform.
Crossing the canal we recorded our first two (of a possible nine) Great White Egrets. Any visitor to this stunning reserve would do well to miss this species now. The Pratincole had been reported showing very well however we had to wait a good hour to get a flight view before it disappeared again behind the reeds.
The bird is well worth a visit as they are a rely seen this side of the country. The bird clearly showed it was a very agile and fluent flier whilst it's tern like shape catches the eye but clearly with longer wings & legs. Chris Griffin of Griffin Wildlife kindly send me the above photo to use where you can see the birds features in more detail. This species was only the second recorded in Somerset, the last being in 1858
As we were waiting there were a selection of other birders to keep us amused including camo-man (a tog who went in and out of focus with his super camafluged clothing), suit-man (clearly the best dressed birder in Somerset) and nice man (who joined in our bantering observations).
Many thanks to Chris Griffin of Griffin Wildlife for his fantastic image.
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