Tuesday 17 June 2014

Cley Marshes - Spoonbill

How do you follow that amazing Spectacled Warbler encounter? I went on the year tick hunt, hoping for a Quail - checking several likely fields but not a single 'wet my lips' :-( Mind you I did see several Grey Partridge which are always worth some effort!



I ended up at Cley for the evening - would that Red-necked Phalarope reappear? Answer an emphatic NO! I was sat looking over the scrape, when a couple of Spoonbill flew in, landing in front of Bishop's hide..... How quickly can you get around there?? I was there in minutes.......

And so were the two Spoonbills, adults in summer plumage.....


Rarely together and the light was getting really grim but you can't really grumble about Spoonbills this close?




What an incredible mud sifting fish/food grabbing tool?


And rarely seen in close up detail!!




It wasn't to last, this was the moment they flew back onto the main scrape....


A change of County beckons in the morning - Suffolk!