9th March - a text from Alan S mid afternoon had me making an unusual weekend visit to the pit. Kevin H had found an
Avocet feeding around the spit. I arrived about 10 minutes later to be told that the bird could not be found. Not another dip I thought - I checked the spit, including the area at the base not visible from the bench and drew a blank, though 2 winter plumaged Dunlin were foraging, so I decided to check the flood meadows to see if it had flown there. Good move, as there it was wading amongst the sedge growth on Spade Oak meadow - an excellent patch tick of a species that has very few records here. Trying to get a record shot proved impossible in the end, as a Crow took a dislike to the bird and kept chasing it around the flood - the Avocet often calling as it flew. It looked slightly more settled on the eastern end of the flood, so I decided to walk down that end to get closer, by which time it had flown back to the spit!
Anyway, in the SE corner, a male
Goldeneye was showing with a group of Tufted Duck - another year tick that I had missed a few times so far, so all was not lost. Another poor record shot in low light:
As I walked back, Alan S rang to say that the Avocet had flown off high SE. I decided to check the flood again to see if it had doubled back there, but no luck, though a splendid full summer
adult Med Gull had arrived (poor light, far away etc etc...)
So a very fruitful quick afternoon visit and I'm very grateful to Alan S for his timely text.
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