joannec
Well-known member
A spoonbill has been seen for the past three days a few miles from where I live at Cuckmere Haven on the Sussex coast.....couldn't not go now could I? :gh: A very scarce visitor to Sussex and today is the first day I could get down there. We've set off early on a bright sunny day before the Saturday crowds arrive at this local beauty spot. Cycling down the path towards the beach I see a flock of 26 barnacle geese; I stop to watch them for a bit but husband D cycles on...he's keen to get near the beach before the crowds arrive. (Not twitching crowds but Mr and Mrs Public with kids and dogs and grannies.) Oh well, the geese will just have to wait until the way back.
Half a dozen birders are here already, the spoonbill, an adult, is feeding in the salty pool, with bill low in the water and sweeping it's head side to side. It moves onto the grass and takes flight giving a spectacular flight display.o
I am entranced, mesmerized even. We watch it as it circles around twice and returns to the pool where it resumes feeding. The breeze blows its bushy crest this way and that giving it a relaxed air. It is as white as an egret but dwarfs the resident little egrets. Smallness does not stop the little egrets bullying it into flight again but it relocates itself on the same pool, wading slowly in the shallow water. We spend half an hour or more with this wonderful bird before it flies again to the west and lands out of sight on the other side of the river. It doesn't reappear for us again.:flyaway:
Cycling back is pleasant; other happy birders, having just seen the spoonbill too, watch a flock of 20-30 reed buntings with us. Little grebe as always here, skylarks singing overhead, a kingfisher skims over the oxbow beside us, wigeon in the distance and we do get nice but distant views of the pretty barnacle geese on the way back; another unusual bird for Sussex.
A few digiscoped pictures of the spoonbill which I was pleased to get but the light is harsh.
Half a dozen birders are here already, the spoonbill, an adult, is feeding in the salty pool, with bill low in the water and sweeping it's head side to side. It moves onto the grass and takes flight giving a spectacular flight display.o
I am entranced, mesmerized even. We watch it as it circles around twice and returns to the pool where it resumes feeding. The breeze blows its bushy crest this way and that giving it a relaxed air. It is as white as an egret but dwarfs the resident little egrets. Smallness does not stop the little egrets bullying it into flight again but it relocates itself on the same pool, wading slowly in the shallow water. We spend half an hour or more with this wonderful bird before it flies again to the west and lands out of sight on the other side of the river. It doesn't reappear for us again.:flyaway:Cycling back is pleasant; other happy birders, having just seen the spoonbill too, watch a flock of 20-30 reed buntings with us. Little grebe as always here, skylarks singing overhead, a kingfisher skims over the oxbow beside us, wigeon in the distance and we do get nice but distant views of the pretty barnacle geese on the way back; another unusual bird for Sussex.
A few digiscoped pictures of the spoonbill which I was pleased to get but the light is harsh.
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