Hoopoe long ago lost it's status as my bogey bird in the UK, yet for the first 25 years of my birding career it was just that, I just couldn't see one anywhere without getting on a plane and flying to Europe. How things have changed, todays bird at Ince Blundell was my 10th in North West England and my 5th in Merseyside, which included a self found bird on Hilbre last year. Even so, I've still never seen one on the south or east coast of the UK from Cornwall to Shetland (I've never been to Scillies).
It gave me the run around today, it took me 3 attempts to see it. First time it had flown across the Formby bypass and was lost to view 5 minutes before I arrived and second time it had just been flushed by a vehicle and flown half a mile away in the opposite direction and lost to view behind a pine woodland. Finally at the third attempt I saw it, but even then after 5 minutes it was flushed by a kestrel and flew back towards the pine woodland.
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