Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Big White Thing ....

.... or 'Pass Me a Tunnocks!'

I've seen a few great white egrets on the continent, but never in the UK. Never even been for one! It is however, a species that I should have bagged by now, so it was very much on this year's hit list. I was very pleased then, to learn yesterday, that one was just a few miles away, over the border in Powys. I was not very pleased to learn that it was there on Sunday, while I was collecting wood warblers at Glyncornel. Worst still, 19 May is a significant day in our household, so twitching it yesterday was out of the question.

With all that behind me, I was away early from work and arrived at Cantref Reservoir by 5:30pm. I was greeted with a glum photographer who had spent half-an-hour in a fruitless search. "B$5ll*&ks!"

Plan B kicked in, so it was off to check first Beacons Reservoir and then Llwyn-onn. Beacons had a grey heron but not its larger cousin. On to Llwyn-onn, but as I slowed past Cantref, there was the bloody big white thing in flight. Awesome! A quick screech of the brakes and I was into the lay-by watching the bird circle and eventually land in the northern shallows.

Good views of the bird hunting, being harried by crows and finally perching high up in the conifers were enjoyed.

2 comments:

Jeff said...

Well done Wayne,another U.K "lifer in the bag,break out the Tunnocks I'm feeling peckish !!

Wayne said...

I've now seen the post on the Club website and learned it was flushed by a photographer after I left. He knows who he is, but I've removed his name from this post.