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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dantheman" data-source="post: 2757118" data-attributes="member: 32998">Day One cont ...A bird responded, a little closer, and I realised that the initial calling bird was probably not as distant as I’d initially imagined. Another bird called on the other side of the track as we were now totally surrounded by Corncrake song. Not a bad situation to be in.(I’m not really a fan of playback, to be honest, but appreciate there are certain situations were it can be useful – to monitor birds or ‘just’ for a ‘tick’. Certainly with lots of birds, and few birders, any effect this could have on the population as a whole or even an individual bird would be so low as to perhaps be negligible in circumstances such as we were in. And when in Europe, do as Europeans do, and all that (although some would alledge the UK is in Europe, I know) …)As the light slowly faded, outbursts of creaking could be heard all around as we slowly drove on after a few minutes – regardless of whether we were encouraging them or not. There could have been a whole army of small wee people out there carefully and intermittently flicking their fingers on plastic combs in a determinedly ominous manner for all we knew – the grass didn’t stir. Harriers twisted and turned – both Marsh and Montagu’s. Now a head or two did emerge from the grass –first a Black-tailed Godwit, then a Lapwing. But no Corncrakes. Lapwings tumbled and rose distantly against the backdrop of the enclosing coniferous forest.Another hundred yards or so and a calling bird seemed tantalisingly close. Again the phone came out and instantly a response came back with renewed vigour. A sea of waving grass surrounded us, and it seemed rather unlikely that we would see a small unobtrusive creaky crakey thing at all, no matter how much it called. These skulkers are renowned for being able to sing continuously from a patch of grass merely a few feet square without ever even giving a glimpse to the observer. And here there were acres upon acres of ironically waving grass in the early evening light ... All fears were soon dispelled however, when I suddenly became aware of a beady eye fixated upon me from not 10 yards away. A head, and then a neck resolved. Even a portion of heavily-spotted mantle as it stretched upwards. It was a Corncrake!A person of overly negative disposition might have dismissed the sighting as untickable, only half the bird being seen. I am not overly negative. A cracking (half) bird! The soft muted grey and warm russety tones, on what to the unsuspecting invertebrate was probably silently stalking death on  creeping feet, glowing brightly in my new bins. (*)Another eye appeared on Milda’s side of the track, as if to say ‘I’m here too!’. We enjoyed the two birds responding to each other and our occasional calls, song continuing unabated until one moved off into the longer grass, probably in disgust, a rustling quivering line of stems indicating his disgruntled passage. Rasping calls continued, but we let them be. The immediate end of the track came, and a junction left and right. We were going to head off on foot for a bit, but the heavens threatened as ominous looking clouds came to our attention. A few heavy drops of rain splattered the windscreen so instead we carried on by car on the left hand fork, fortunately the main cloud movement passing us by. Birding was made a little awkward, but we soon reached another turning where we turned right, to travel on a track running in a parallel direction to our initial one.This proved rather good.*(Seeing half a bird in good light is probably better than seeing the whole bird in poor light, or in silhouette perhaps, even if you can be sure of its id. I have the moon on my UK satellite list, despite never having seen the far side of it. I’m assuming Pink Floyd has never seen the dark side of the moon either. I’ve never seen Pink Floyd, so not on my list. If I’d seen them (or him – I’d always mistakenly thought it was the blokes name) walking across the street and a low Wall was in the way, obscuring my view and Cutting off the Final part of their legs and feet I’m sure I would still be ticking them …(And I'll mention the bins again soon enough))</blockquote>

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