Thunderstorms and Migrants 

The heavens had opened for two days ,thunder,lightning the works.

At last the skies cleared and the sun squeezed through the last of the remaining clouds,that's the excuse I needed to check the marsh and see if any migrants had come down in the storms.

So it was boots on ,grabbed my scope and bins and off down the lane .

You know when you get one of those feelings,when you seem to know that something special is going to happen,well that's how I felt driving down to the marsh;or was it just wishful thinking!!!!

As I pulled up to check on the Yellow wagtails, I could see some 12 or so Little egret preening themselves in the sun on a flooded field by the side on the road.

Just then a Moorhen scuttered between the reed-beds,- or was it??

As I waited to see if it would appear again,I could'nt believe my eyes,it was'nt a moorhen at all ,but a Spotted crake disappearing back into the reeds.

 I reversed the car along -side the field and waited to see if it would re -appear.

Twenty minutes later I was beginning to believe I had imagined the whole thing,then a dark shape appeared  in the shadows on the edge of the reed-bed,slowly creeping into view.

It was a male Spotted crake dressed in his breeding plumage, the sun glistening off his yellow and orange bill.

This was just too good to be true.

Over the next hour or so he would stealthily creep out between the reeds to feed on the minute water snails nestling in the pond weed ,then quickly disappear back under cover,frightened, due to the  Yellow wagtails scuttering around above him catching insects.

These birds are very timid indeed and I felt quite privileged to be able to sit no more than 10 yards away, watch and take photographs of this gem of a bird.

 The nearest migration route for the Spotted crake is some 250 miles due East of my area,but thank goodness that storm blew him off-course,otherwise I would never have had the pleasure of seeing and photographing this very shy ,colourful wading bird.

Certainly another day to remember.

Two days later

I returned to same spot on the marsh two days later .

I was going to try and get a shot of the Fan-tailed warbler that had being flitting around the day I saw the Spotted crake.

Just as I got all my gear sorted out ,I saw  the crake skulking through the reeds,five minutes later it emerged from the shadows,I got my scope focussed and as the bird came into view I could see it was'nt the Spotted crake at all.

 This crake was smaller, with grey flanks and a red spot on its bill and a very noticable red eye,it was of course,a Little crake.

I just could'nt believe my eyes,two different species of crake in the same spot in two days and two lifers as well,this was turning into a migration to remember.

Roll on tomorrow ,goodness knows what's going to be arriving on the next wind.