Well, I've spent a lot of time at Hope Carr over the past week, probably in excess of 24 birding hours, and most of that has been standing in front of a bramble patch waiting for a single bird to give itself up. It's been an uncomfortable experience standing in mud next to a sewage works in wind, rain, sleet, snow, fog and often in sub-zero temperatures, but it's been well worth it!
After an absence of three and a half days, the Blyth's reed warbler decided to put in another appearance today. I never really believed that it had gone given the weather we have had recently, but I was starting to think that perhaps it was dead. However as predicted, as soon as the first rays of sunshine emerged through the clouds today, the mildest day since last Sunday, a "tak, tak" call was heard from the brambles and shortly afterwards the bird began to show. I arrived on site at 10:15 just as the bird finally showed well for the first time and I saw it very well on and off until about 12:30. For most of this period the bird was very vocal, though for the last half hour or so it more or less stopped calling. Much appreciated by the many birders who finally managed to connect with it.
However it's not just the warbler which has made the past few days so special, there's a decent supporting cast as well. Putting in a regular appearance are two green sandpipers, chiffchaff, adult Mediterranean gulls, tree sparrows, grey wagtails, meadow pipits, 100+teal, 20 shoveler, 30 gadwall and 15 tufted ducks. Even better, on Monday a flock of 9 whooper swans flew over, on Friday a 3rd winter Iceland gull flew over and today a juvenile marsh harrier was added to the list. If I saw that lot plus the warbler anywhere locally I'd be delighted, but when it's just a two mile walk through farmland from my home it makes me think that maybe I should visit more often.....
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