Firstly, a fly through Whimbrel at 7.45 Saturday morning, unmistakeable - less than 50m in front of the hide and calling....
Then, a late start Sunday morning turned up a Greenshank - at least this bird stopped for all of a couple of minutes!
Before I could get news out (desperate stuff eh - a Greenshank is 'news'??) one of the feisty Lapwings literally 'dropped' on it - it briefly flew to the middle island then seconds later was gone.....
I was speaking to Andy just before the Greenshank flew off and he'd got a Ringed Plover at Mire Lake - once boredom had set in and having missed last Sunday's VP bird - I was off. A shot for the record of this one!
On a roll then with three new year ticks and hopes of a Cuckoo on Whixall moss? I also needed Hobby and there was no problem here - SIX were in view but generally distant on the mosses.
This was the the closest encounter!
I could hear Cuckoo calling and my luck really was in - assuming it was in the copse near to the main track from Furbers - I was amazed to drop on it nearby and out in the open!! About 100m away though, into the light / heat haze so don't go looking for feather detail here!
What a day - four County year ticks plus the Whimbrel from yesterday - knocking on the door of 150 now!!
