My boss was kind enough to let me have a last minute day off so that I could go and see a bird I have longed to see for some time. I missed out on the Cornwall bird in 2010 so I was determined not too miss out on this one. My mate Pete has never seen one of these either so he meet me and we headed off early. The drive up was nerve racking and we had got passed the Severn bridge and still not got news of a sighting. As with any long trip, there's always the chance of a no show so we started wondered if this was going to be a hell of a dip. We finally got the news it had been seen and you could feel the tension ease immediately. Now it was just a case of getting there and hoping it shows in the time I had there as I needed to be back in Exmouth for 5:30pm so time was of the essence.
On route, near Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire. Our minds were distracted for a few moments as we were treated to excellent low views of a Red Kite. The traffic had been more than kind to us and we arrived in good time. The bird in question is in a private garden pond on the property of local MP Simon Hart. There was the obligatory charity bucket which we gladly added to and we set up along with 40 - 50 other eager birders. I was impressed with the garden, it was a large pond and the garden looked more like a wildlife reserve. We didn't have to wait long to get our first glimpse of the bird. Phew, pressure off and job done. As my pictures show, it never came fully out in the open and the several views obtained were of it peeking through the reeds. With our boots filled we headed off and were treated to another great Red Kite near the Pembrokeshire / Carmarthenshire border.
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| Green Heron |
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| Green Heron |
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| Green Heron (Butt view) |
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| We have even made the local paper (Left hand with Green coat) |
On the way back we both needed to stretch our legs for an hour. So we decided here would be as good a place as any to stop. We only walked up to the first viewing platform and back. On the way to the platform we were treated to views of a Eurasian Hobby (first of the year) and several Common Swift. Around the platform and surrounding trees were 2 Great Egret, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Eurasian Reed Warbler and several Eurasian Blackcap. Disappointingly, there was no sign of yesterday’s Mealy Redpoll. We left feeling a bit refreshed and on the way back (a few miles back into Devon) we encountered another Kite species. I say Kite species as this was no Red Kite. We knew straightaway from the jizz that it was Kite but the fork in the tail was small and the bird mainly dark underneath. So we think this was a Black Kite
What a cracking day! The Green Heron was a stunner of a bird and as knackered as I am writing this, it was well worth the trip. The only downside was that my folks live in Swansea that I had to pass twice on the trip and I didn't have time to even call in for a quick cuppa.
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