Hooded Birder: Glossy Ibis!

Thursday 30 August 2012

Glossy Ibis!

I don't really know what came over me this morning. Firstly, I awoke, of my own accord, at 4am. Secondly, I did not feel any inclination to roll over and go back to sleep. Thirdly, I thought, "it's only two hours until dawn, lets go twitch something!". So, after a quick look on the interweb to see what had been reported within driving distance I settled on the Ouse Washes RSPB reserve where a juvenile Glossy Ibis has been loitering for about a week now. I'd been too lazy (or otherwise-engaged, I can't remember) to go for the first ever Leicestershire record at Rutland last year so this was a potential lifer for me!

So off I went, arriving on site a few minutes after dawn with a brace of Barn Owl sightings under my belt from the drive there. Not wishing to mess about I headed straight to the area it was reported from yesterday (Grose Hide) and had a shufty. I actually made a rather large error at this point as instead of looking at the 50+ strong group of Little Egret close infront of the hide I began to scan the furthest away areas, somehow expecting the Ibis to be miles away! Ten minutes later I decided to have a ~~better~~ proper look at the masses of Egrets and quickly found the Ibis in-amongst them - the quarry had been nailed and it wasn't even 7am yet!

Edit: I've noticed that my report of the Ibis sent to birdguides yesterday was the first to be published for the UK that day, this has never happened before! Take that....everybody.

As the Ibis was staying loyal to its favoured area (quickly returning if put-up by a Marsh Harrier) I decided to just have a sit for a few hours in Grose Hide and see what else was about as there was certainly plenty going on and as I had the hide to myself it was all rather peaceful and relaxing!
Over the next few hours I tallied (all from Grose Hide);

1 x Glossy Ibis (boo-yaa)
3x Marsh Harrier
1x Hobby
1 x gorgeous Whinchat
18 x Yellow Wagtail (mainly juvs)
13 x Garganey (managed to pick out 13 eclipse drakes, suspect there were far more)
4 x Greenshank
22 x Snipe
6 x Ruff
2 x Common Sandpiper
4 x Blackwit (over)
1 x Kingfisher
2 x Green Woodpecker

Not a bad mornings work really, especially as I was back in Leicester for lunchtime! Here, have some dodgy photos, the light was truly aweful for photography today - bright, low and behind the target first thing which then slowly progressed to dull and overcast......