08/09/2024
I was thrilled get a chance to see this wonderful bird yesterday, a lifer for me - that means it's a species I've never seen before. I heard it was around and assumed it would have left before I got there.
But then about post popped up saying it was still present, so despite the rain I shot down to the location, where a friend knew exactly where it was hiding.
For the next 15 minutes or so, it stayed largely hidden, just the face a beak visible amongst the vegetation. And then it suddenly popped out and we got a chance to see this wonderful bird, a Eurasian wryneck. And that was great because I only 30 minutes to be there before needing to be home.
They don't breed in the British Isles, and are only seen on passage, when on the move between summer and winter territories, and we get only a few hundred each year.