With the Easter School break upon us I have taken a few days off and went to Brandon Marsh for a walk and some lunch - there may also have been a plan to do a spot of birding given reports that a pair of greenshanks had arrived on site.
The greenshanks were reportedly showing from the East Marsh hide with a handful of redshank flitting between the East Marsh and Teal Pool. We immediately made for the East Marsh hide and enroute Charlotte picked out a jay perched in a tree - I shuffled until I could take a photo through a gap in the branches - largely getting a clear view.
As we sat down, it was clear where one of the greenshanks was showing was as that is where people were currently facing. We got on the bird straight away as it walked away from us and round the corner of the closest island. It paraded to and fro, eventually coming close enough for a photo. In one of my photos, and with the breeze behind, it looked as if it were modelling on a fashion cat walk. The other greenshank was on the main scrape off to our left and eventually associated with two little ringed and a single ringed plover.
We had joined three birders, two chaps - one wife: Alan Boddington and Alec Cuthbertson - I didn't catch Alec's wife's name. Swallows were spotted far to our right and a marsh harrier far ahead, towards the osprey nest platform. Despite the distance I took a couple of photos for the record. It is most unusual to see this species at Brandon so well worth the visit just for this.
The reeds to the left are where I saw my first ever bittern and delivered again when I saw a couple of Cetti's warblers cross the channel after a bout of calling. There were up to thirteen shelduck which is also a sight I've not encountered there myself. We watched for the marsh harrier and as we waited I scanned the islands, banks and reeds picking out first one and then eventually six common snipe.
The greenshank continued to march around but didn't get any closer - the garganey apparently sleeping behind the islands didn't even manage to put in an appearance. A water rail popped out from the reeds to our left and almost immediately a redshank landed dead-centre between the left and right reeds, flushing the rail back into cover. It was only a couple of minutes and the bird re-emerged and was joined by a second. Rather than stroll or trot across the mud, they took to the wing and shot across. As I'd already the camera raised taking photos, I managed to shap a few frames and hoped to catch them in flight. After about five minutes one popped out on our right but was on the wing and back out of sight before I could react.
We decided not to wait for the garganey any longer and headed along the paths to the Ted Jury hide, hoping that the marsh harrier would be more visible from there. It didn't show and eventually we packed up there and headed back to the Visitor's Centre for an ice-cream. I know how to show my wife a good time!
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