Attenborough nature reserve Nottinghamshire, Uk today (12/1/24) (1 Viewer)

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Hi everyone.

I am a total novice in the field and would love to get some help with what me and my girlfriend saw at Attenborough nature reserve. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t something that is commonly sighted at the reserve because we’ve been through the British Birds pocket guide across the waterfowl and waders sections and nothing matches what we saw.

At the time my mrs had the binoculars and I was stood next to her when across the very edge of the water near the reed beds a small (smaller than a moorhen) light brownish bird came into view swimming across us. It had a tail tufted upwards with an orangey, medium length bill that was slightly curved downwards at the end.

It then hopped up onto the reed bed and scuttled across and out of sight. It was a very very brief sighting so I can’t give much more information than that.

5 minutes beforehand we were in the tower hide observing a little grebe so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that!

That’s about all I can offer in terms of clues but would love to know what everyone thinks it might be. Any suggestions would be great and then I can google the suggestions and see if it matches with what we saw.

Thanks. ☺️

Edit. Hmmm. Ok. Maaaaybe a water rail?? That’s the closest I can find to what it MIGHT be in my book!!

 

[Mark Harper]

Sounds like a Water Rail

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Sounds like a Water Rail

I genuinely just edited my thread before I saw your reply Mark! Ok that sounds good to me! Thanks.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Ok my mrs is in agreement with that and she had a better look than me!

Thanks!

It says on the net that it’s highly secretive and it was definitely acting like it was up to no good😄

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Water Rail do swim; very convinced that is what you saw.

 

[Butty]

Could you give the date, please? Thanks.
I should need to know why it's not a moorhen.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Could you give the date, please? Thanks.
I should need to know why it's not a moorhen.

It was today!

No definitely not a moorhen. I know what they are!

 

[THE_FERN]

Could you give the date, please? Thanks.
I should need to know why it's not a moorhen.

"orangey, medium length bill that was slightly curved downwards at the end."

...not any moorhen I've seen

 

[Butty]

not any moorhen I've seen

Not clear what your intention is here. If we learn anything in this forum from helping the less-experienced with photo-free ID queries, we learn (quickly) that, in order to arrive at a reasonable conclusion, we have to interpret the description (very) liberally - to the extent of, almost always, having to disregard entirely at least one (apparently key) feature of which the poster was fully convinced. On that basis, and having little idea of the OP's experience, it's appropriate to seek to exclude moorhen - which is a far far more likely species to see than water rail.

"orangey, medium length bill..."

Water rail sort of has that, but - strictly - doesn't. Moorhen sort of has that, but - strictly - doesn't. Hence..,. ask.

"...bill that was slightly curved downwards at the end."

Possibly, a description from someone less-experienced triggered by the curvature (especially at the end) of the culmen of moorhen's (medium-length) bill. Hence..,. ask.
And the OP's now considered that option and confidently rejected it. So, all good