Third time lucky!

This was becoming an obsession. However, with this being my third attempt, I sensed that patience just might pay off. At Sizergh, I watched and waited, listening out for the faint ‘flint-chipping’ song, and constantly scanned the verge of the car park. Even when the crowds began to arrive, soon after 8am, despite the numerous inadvertent flushes by dog-walkers and runners, I stayed put knowing that just a few minutes of silence and stillness would bring the birds back out into the open again.

And sure enough, eventually both a male and a female Hawfinch flew down to feed, close enough for a photo. And let’s not forget the actual experience of clapping eyes on these stunning birds; they really are the royalty of the finch family – utterly absorbing and awe-inspiring. By 9.30am the flow of people traffic had become so constant, the birds had given up trying to feed. And I had given up too.

I moved on to Fell End Nature Reserve, which I was now very familiar with! I was the first there again and had high hopes as I dashed into the first hide. Annoyingly, the Eurasian Teal numbers were well down, at least there were very few out on the open water – and my heart sank. Moreover, the weather had deteriorated again – heavy drizzle dampened my spirits further. Having scanned what I could from all three hides – without any success – I resorted to spending time at the feeders.

This actually proved more productive than I had envisaged. The Marsh Tits were ever present, often posing on branches away from the feeder and singing at times, before coming in to feed. But even better, the Nuthatch(es) I had heard on previous visits also came in to feed, and even found a regular perch near the feeder, and I couldn’t have picked out a better one if I’d tried. I actually got some of my best shots of both these species, and certainly ones I wouldn’t have got had it not been for the attraction of the local rarity on the pools nearby. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, when it came to 3.45pm, just as I was about to give up and go home (pretty disappointed, if not downright furious), I noticed the flocks of teal being much more active – and taking to the air more. I sensed a ‘reshuffling of the pack’ and when a small group of four or five landed to my left in

the channel between the first two hides, I took a closer look. Imagine my relief when I couldn’t see the horizontal white stripe; and my suspicions were confirmed by the all important vertical one. ‘Got it!’ I whispered (to the one other birder who had remained in hide 1): the (American) Green-winged Teal! Not only was I the first to relocate the bird today (there had been no other previous sightings), but I also managed a half-decent record shot – seconds before it slipped into the vegetation and went to sleep! Joy and relief in equal measure!