I can't believe so much time has gone by since the last time I posted. Life had been crazier than normal and there is a lot of news to catch up on, especially about the otters. However today I had to comment on a life list tick that I got today.
Following a tip off I heard that a Hoopoe had been seen round the corner from me in a business park feeding on the lawn. It appeared in Monday and today I went down on the off chance it was still there.
I was in luck there were a handful of other birders, many with telephoto lenses and there the individual was. It was feeding, unconcernedly, on the lawn. When startled it would fly up to the roof of the buildings or flutter off to some trees behind before returning.
They are a fairly regular spring and autumn passage migrant brought up by errant winds from Spain and Portugal, however they rarely get further than the south coast. This individual should be heading south to Africa for the winter but winds over the weekend have pushed it northwards, a change in the weather at the end of the week should push it on its way.
It seemed to be taking good advantage of its stay by feeding up on all manner of grubs in the grass. I was also lucky enough to see it flare its head crest.
The weather was a little dull and so the photo isn't the best but that was besides the point. It was fascinating to watch it probing the earth and the way it flew with a slight undulation. I was just as pleased with the people around. As I watched more and more birders appeared until there were 10 or 12, they had come from the north of the county and further afield like Gloucester. They all treated the bird with respect and kept a suitable distance. This was how twitching should be done, enjoying the bird in a relaxed way and it was greater to meet up with like minded birders and exchange stories.
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