When news broke on Tuesday 13th August that Colin Wells had found a Hudsonian Godwit at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (BMW) the previous evening I played it cool and went to Hilbre to man the Bird Observatory for a few hours - especially as the wind had switched to SE over night. As it happened the winds hadn't brought any new birds in and the sole reward for my efforts was a juvenile Whitethroat that had been ringed the week previously and had put on 1g in weight during its stay.
Hudsonian Godwit is an extremely rare bird in the UK with around 6 accepted records and some of those refer to what was provably the same bird. The last one I saw was in January 1982 at the Countess of Wear near Exeter and ths was presumed to be the same bird that was at Blacktoft Sands in September 1981 where it was presumed to be the same bird returning in 1983!
Needless to say it was a 1st for Cheshire and I resolved to call in to BMW on the way home if it was re-found. Which it was...........
Arriving to a busy site I was lucky that a car parking space became available in the main car park just as I turned in so I was directed away from the over flow car parking to the reception building. A quick yomp later and I found myself in a packed hide looking at a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits in which was the strikingly obvious Hudsonian Godwit. My telescope was at home but I'd decided to come straight to site and then potentially come back with it later when things has quietened down. Luckily a few friends were in the hide and Phil Jones kindly allowed me to view the bird through his telescope. I did have my camera with me though and fired off a few distant shots of this mega rarity. Probably the rarest bird ever discovered in Cheshire?
The bird was noticeably smaller and darker than the surrounding Black-tailed Godwits with a long dark eyestripe extending well behind the eye and a thick white supercillium that extended to the base of the bill and tapered out behind the eye. The underwing pattern is diagnostic but unfortunately it never flapped its wings whilst I had the camera ready.
Leaving site I was certain the bird would hang around for Steve & Chris to catch up with when they came back off holiday but it flew off later that evening and has been elusive since. This was my 321st species for Cheshire.
No comments :
Post a Comment