Hoopoe : Sker House, Porthcawl

 Having spent most of our time down at our caravan in Pembrokeshire recently it was a nice coincidence that a great bird had turned up on the doorstep the same afternoon as we arrived home.

It was a Hoopoe found in the fields adjacent Sker House, Porthcawl late Wednesday afternoon but it was too late for me to go for it that evening and I hoped that it would still be there Thursday morning.

Thanks to Dean Bolt for getting the news out early and on arrival at about 9.00am it was good to bump into Colin Gittins, Paul Parsons and Frank Sengpiel who unfortunately was just leaving.

As I arrived so did the rain and an almighty shower gave the gathered birders and 'toggers' a thorough soaking, most of us were unprepared as the forecast did not predict rain.

Also present were Della Lack, Steve Rosser, Mike Pugh, Colin Harvey, Graham Powell, Ian Lucas, Alan Rosney, Gareth Jenkins, Oscar Wainright, and Strinda Davies as birders came and went throughout the day.

Now being retired and with plenty of time on my hands I could stay as long as I wanted and spent the whole day there catching up and chatting with people that I hadn't met for ages due to Covid.

The bird didn't show particularly well although always present in the same field, it preferred to feed behind a rise in the terrain and was always a little too distant for really good photos.

It was nice to speak with Tim Hall who turned up in the afternoon with his wife Gill although that was by mobile as we were at opposite ends of the field.

Anyway, here are a few images that I came away with, some that I am pleased with and others such as the flight shots which were accidental as the bird flew from the the wall, they are a tad blurry as I was on the wrong settings.........

This was only my third Hoopoe in the UK and an East Glamorgan 'tick' for me having seen previous birds near Rhosili, Gower and over the channel in Somerset.