A familiar start for me as well with the bird having shown well earlier but currently ‘disappeared’. We stayed by the Marsh entrance gorse bushes but after 30 mins decided to have a search. Eventually, after a ‘tip off’ we found the Hoopoe tucked right into the far left hand corner (if walking in) on the railway line fence! Cue one very happy Yvonne, surprised it wasn’t a much bigger bird!
We watched it for a while and it flew over by the slag heap......
It didn’t take long to find it again and it was one of those – “Don’t move – there’s a Hoopoe less than ten metres away” moments. It then flew a short distance onto the heap, continuing to feed as we watched it though some bushes; worth a pic or two……
The disappearing act nearly happened but it haa a habit of flying up into a tree every now and then for a preen…..
Another tree…..
This ‘Beast of Clayhanger’ was nearly responsible for it’s demise a few days earlier until scared off by some birders!
Foxes on the loose too, this Hoopoe is leaving a charmed life......
