Sunday 10 January 2016

A Day of Rain, Rain and more . . . Rain. Yet I get my Reward.

Saturday 9th January light S-SW Heavy rain showers, occasional thunder.

Starlings leave and go overhead as I sit in the hide at Noah's Lake, Shapwick listening to the rain on the roof and the conversation from another early riser, Rob. Rob says that he is down here most days photographing whatever nature puts in front of him.
By 9:30am the starlings have all gone and the great white egrets have left the roost. Still no sign of the glossy ibis though.

In heavy rain I cycle to the the road and hide the bike. I don't want to trudge and push it through the mud. Unencumbered I walk down to the dusky warbler spot again and meet someone looking pleased. He has just seen it. Confidence is high once more.
By 3:00pm confidence has gone and over five hours standing in the rain has not given me even a glimpse of it. I did get a year tick, number 100 on the list. A couple of meadow pipits were on an area of cut reed amongst pied wagtails. There have been very few other birders braving the weather and only one, Paul Williams from Clevedon, spent the day as I did. He went for a walk and saw the glossy!
Well there's always tomorrow.
I retire to the Railway Inn and buy a couple of rolls. Having only had a packet of Hobnobs and some bars given to me yesterday by Pete Drommett I needed some sustenance.
Down to the Noah's Lake hide again which is full of starling watchers. A group of four, two couples are from Winchester. Together we watch the grey skies and as rain falls and darkness does likewise, masses of starlings fly over. A sparrowhawk tazzes past, almost seeming that it was coming in the hide with us. It is carrying one of the starlings. Well one million take away one.
Then . . . I shout out . . . Glossy ibis!

There it is flying low over the reedbed to the right. It lands for a short while out in front of me and then takes off heading left low over the water until it has gone into trees.


The Green Year list now stands at 101.

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