I'd arranged to meet Haydn at Duff this morning as the Forecast promised a decent day? The first couple of hours didn't back this up as I drove through rush hour Hull in drizzle with heavy skies. I arrived around 8.30 and headed straight for the shelter of the Hide. I was soon joined by Haydn who'd had a walk out to the Platform.
We chatted ansd scanned till 11. Haydn picked out a couple of Stonechats on the "scrape" but I didn't see them. There were decent numbers of Swallows (c50) around and a scattering of Lapwings (c30). A couple of Marsh Harriers were noted. As it was brightening up we decided to head for Stamford Bridge to try for the Hoopoe that had been present for some days now. I had seen this Species in the York Area previously at Dunnington, but the chance of another sighting was too good to turn down.
The directions were spot on. We parked and walked the short distance to the site. A couple of chaps were present but they gave us the disappointing news that the Bird had flown off after being present on the lawn for around an hour!
We had a walk around the area and Haydn picked it up distantly perched in a tree...
 |
| Impressive |
It soon flew, so we returned to the original spot to find the Bird was feeding again on the lawn...
A familiar face tuned up. It was Simon Slade on his way to Flamborough. After he'd got his pics we had a chat and I said I'd see him on Scilly...if not before!?
After returning to our cars I said goodbye to Haydn and headed for Hull...Brandsholme to be precise, as this was the location of the second Hoopoe. Remarkable!
Again the directions were accurate. After parking, I noticed a lone photographer who turned out to be the finder of the Bird! He gave me some pointers but there was no sign of it. He moved on and I waited in the area he'd recommended. After around 15 minutes another Birder appeared from a snicket and pointed me in the right direction. After emerging from the snicket I found around 10 admirers watching the Bird feeding happily at close quarters. No apologies for the following set...
Lets face it, many Rarities are dull "brown jobs". Whilst not being "Rare" the beauty of this Species is unquestionable...
A brilliant day...
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