October 2008
Jack Snipe from the Feast hide this morning.
18/10/08
A very well hidden Jack Snipe, seen this morning.
The Feast hide at Grove Ferry has been turning up some decent photo opportunities of late, and this morning was no exception, with a Jack Snipe resting on the island in front of the hide. Although for 2 hours while I remained in the hide, it was constantly on show, it remained well hidden in the reeds along the pool fringe. A few shots were obtained, mostly of the reeds, but enough to see the bird, and are posted in the “latest photo’s gallery”. This is the first Jack Snipe I have seen for a few years, having missed the few sightings around the reserve that happen periodically. I am sure they are frequent visitors to the reserve, but as you can see from my photo attempts, they remain well hidden, blending in well with the surrounding terrain. Even knowing where it was, it was still difficult to find after taking your eyes off it for a while. Other birds seen from the hide, in the company of Martyn Wilson, Steve Ray, Allan Ashdown, and Marc Heath for a short while, were 2 Water Rails, 2 Bearded Tits and 2 Cetti's Warblers,1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Marsh Harriers, several Common Snipe, Teal, Mallard, Pochard and Tufted Duck. 2 Little Egrets and 1 Grey Heron were also seen, and 2 Water Pipits flew over the pool, both hanging on to there Summer attire. An hour on the ramp added a Little Stint, 6 Ruff, and I saw my first Redwings of the Autumn, a flock of 20+ birds, flying over the trees that line the river. Directly overhead, there was a steady movement of finches, flying North, the majority of these being Chaffinches.There were several occasions when the birds on the two pools were spooked, twice by Sparrow-hawks and once by a Male Marsh Harrier, revealing a large number of Golden Plover, probably in excess of 300 birds. With the Teal and Lapwing, it made for an impressive sight. It was on one of these occasions when Martyn caught sight of the Pectoral Sandpiper, but it preferred to land back on the hidden pools to the South of the reserve.