Over six hours to tick the Purple Heron at Wat Tyler cp

Headed to Blows down with Jimmy on Monday only to dip on any of the 7 Ring Ozuel that had been around on Sunday, it rained during the night so we set off in the hope that they had stayed around for a while, but alas they had moved on.
So we wait till Friday & go for the Purple Heron at Wat Tyler CP, with it only being 40 minutes from home & not being open till 9 o'clock it's a late start for us & we are in the first hide just after 9 am, we are still there at 1 o'clock with not any sight of the Heron in that time, sitting at home later the bird comes up on bird guides as flying past the hide at 2 30 pm just our luck.
So a text to Brian as he leaves work today gets the three of us once again in the hide to try once more for a nice year tick.
The Heron had shown just before we entered the hide & we are told it had gone down just over the road to the left of the hide so we feel we have a chance.
A couple of hours later we are rewarded when the bird flies up & back over the hedge across the road & lands just to the left of the hide but it quickly goes out of sight in the reeds & that is all we saw of the bird. On the way home it comes out on the pager as flying past the hide, really glad to hear that as some nice people that we left in the hide were desperate to see it & it was a lifer for some of them.
A Sparrowhawk plus a couple of Marsh Harrier give some good entertainment along with a few Bearded Tit, a flash of blue announces the arrival of a nice Kingfisher & we hear & see a few Cetti's & a Water Rail also seen.
So well worth the trip to get another year tick. Our first Swallow gets us a second tick before we head home.

                                                                   

Brian's photo

Purple Heron Brian's photo