A Mega Twitch

In wildlife filming there are times when you can be at the right place at the right time and one of those days occurred on Tuesday.
For several years I have been planning to visit Blacktoft Sands the RSPB reserve on the Humber in Yorkshire to film the abundance of Marsh Harriers that breed there. Tuesday’s weather was perfect and with a good drive along the M62 I was parking my car before 8.00am, with only two other cars in the car-park. I set off north along a path that led me to a good hide overlooking a pool full of Teal. I had it all to myself and watched for two hours but no Marsh Harriers. A yorkshire birder then told me that the best place for Marsh Harriers was a hide at the southern end of the reserve so off I trekked and 20minutes later I settled in this hide – but still no Marsh Harriers. Suddenly the whole area was full of smoke that blew down-wind from an area that the wardens were “managing”. Reluctantly I was forced to abandon this hide and walk back to the original hide and settled into the same seat that I had vacated earlier. By now there were several good birders in the hide.
After a while there was a movement in the reeds on the far side of the pool – a good 300 yards away and a bird the size of a Starling could be seen as it fed at the base of the reeds. It came into the open long enough to be identified as a female Little Crake – the last one seen in Yorkshire being 73 years ago!! Word of its presence was put out on the Birding web-sites and I took a record shot through the heat haze before making my way back to the car park, passing dozens of Birders on the way who were almost running with their scopes and cameras towards the hide.All of a sudden the journey back home along the M62 seemed much more attractive!
To celebrate last weeks blog anniversary this weeks gallery includes some of my favourite and most amusing photos of the last decade. Click here