Arriving at the pumping
station compound to the right hand side of the lake where the Wryneck had been
favouring for the duration of its stay, we joined the rest of the crown in
anticipation of it showing and looking forward to seeing only my second of
these delightful woodpeckers.
After a spot of lunch while we
waited, what must have been the quietest announcement ever that a bird was
showing went up, and the crowds eventually realised someone had spotted the
Wryneck, cryptically camouflaged as ever in the tops of one of its favoured
Rose Hip bushes. Incredibly hidden and matching the bark to perfection, the (dreadful) record shot below exhibits perfectly the difficulty in picking out these
masters of disguise!
With the bird only showing
every hour or so when it chooses to perch in one of its preferred bushes or gorse,
the Wryneck instead spent the majority of its time feeding on the ground and
out of sight, taking advantage of the many ants on the sandy soil and abundance
of grasshoppers in the area. Having previously seen my first and only Wryneck
on the east coast at Spurn last autumn, it was great to catch up with this
relatively local bird not too far from home.
 |
| Perfect scrubby habitat for a Wryneck to hide out in! |
After the Wryneck had
disappeared back in to the depths of the gorse thicket, we tried to find the
now resident drake Scaup that had been present on Fairhaven Lake for several
months, but even a 15 minute scout around the lake in one of the motor boats
for hire failed to turn him up!
A quick stop at Preston Marina
on the way home for the long staying 2nd winter Ring-billed Gull
luckily resulted in success when I found it on the opposite jetty, putting an
end to a string of dips for Ring-billed Gull this year in both Cornwall and
Scotland! Much bulkier and larger than the Black-headed and Common Gulls, and
with the black ring on the bill standing out even at a distance, there was
certainly no mistaking this individual.
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