Tuesday 20 October 2009 - GLOSSY IBISES in Warwickshire & Staffordshire - 20/10/2009

Tuesday 20th October 2009

GLOSSY IBISES - THIRD time VERY lucky!

As I was strolling around St Mary's, Isles of Scilly on Saturday, news filtered through of a first for my home County of Warwickshire.  A GLOSSY IBIS had turned up at Fishers Mill Pit, part of the Drayton Basset Pits complex that straddles the Warwickshire and Staffordshire border.  I was gutted but prayed that the bird would linger until the following day.  Unfortunately a late report came through whilst sailing back to Penzance that the bird had flown off high to the north earlier that evening.

On the Sunday I made the mistake of searching my local patch for the bird instead of heading straight to Drayton Bassett.  As a result I missed the Ibis by about twenty minutes.  Later that morning a GLOSSY IBIS was reported just 20 miles to the north flapping its way through South Derbyshire.  As it turned out the Sunday bird was different to the Saturday bird based on the differing letter combinations on their bling.  Amazing!

Then on the Monday, an incredible THIRD different GLOSSY IBIS dropped in to exactly the same pit, this time an unringed individual was involved.  I ventured over after work but again I missed the bird by no more than 30 minutes.  I'd have torn my hair out if I had any!

So we arrive at Tuesday, a day of meetings in Kent (reluctantly driving straight past the BROWN SHRIKE site twice) and little chance of getting back home before dark.... and guess what the unringed GLOSSY IBIS was still present.  As it happened I did manage to get back home rather early and ventured down to Fishers Mill Pit yet again.  The weather was poor and the light was fading but I was determined not to be defeated again.  Upon scanning the area from the bridge it was evident that the bird was not there, backed up by the fact that a few other birders were milling around searching in all directions.

I moved along the track in order to get alternative perspectives and on my final attempt BINGO, there feeding at the river end of the pit was an unringed 1st winter GLOSSY IBIS and even better, the bird was actually loafing around in Shakespeare's County.  After a short while the bird then flew towards me to recommence feeding on snails along the canal side of the same pit.  It was whilst fiddling with my equipment and contemplating a few record shots that what I assumed to be the same bird fly up from a nearby channel.  The bird then landed in an area of long grass before jumping up a few times as if disturbed by a predator.  It was at this stage that I glimpsed an obvious ring on the birds leg.  Was I going mad or was I hallucinating under the excitement of the occasion?  I switched back to Fishers Mill Pit where the original unringed bird was still happily probing the mud infront of me.  No way, TWO different birds!  The ringed bird then flew north at 5.00pm with the unringed bird following the same trajectory around five minues later.

Unfortuantely I was unable to see the detail on the ring but hopefully the bird will be relocated tomorrow.

Wednesday 21 October 2009 - Ibis...