Crake, Spotted.

Fun and games and a need for covid-cover had me working surprise dayshift at work this week, with extra hours too. So naturally, a showy spring Spotted Crake was found.

I was very good and waited until work was through - having Friday off for a trip to TH* - on Thursday to zip over to Exminster and defy a frozen blast of Arctic Air to see if a little speckly bird would come out of cover for us. The weather did not do anything to help, smiting the most visible sections of the Crake's favoured cover, glaring sunshine off the water at us, and, oh yes, snowing!

'Us' being assorted hopefuls, who were gradually whittled down by time and cold, until The Artist Himself arrived. The venerable one, it turned out, needed Spake for Devon, so made a very uncharacteristic twitch. Good thing he did, too, as it was surely his Power [it was his ownership which imbued The Artefact, after all] that summoned first a lovely Ruff at very close range, before at the 'yes it really is' time of 1954, the Spotted Crake broke cover and spent 3 minutes being utterly adorable for 4 birders and a passing mundane. A few minutes hidden and then it came out again.

Much rejoicing ensued.

My camera was necessarily in nightshoot mode, so half mag pics, but I got somethings;

Spotted Crake!

Yes, that thing in the middle

Teal on the left, btw

Let's see that Ruff;

Lovely!

And zoom out a bit.

Crake country

And maybe turn the lights up,

Looking through a hedge, of course...

Also on site, a close Spoonbill!!!!

Asleep, of course...

You can't have everything.

At least 3 Marsh Harriers - whose attentions may well have contributed to the Spake's elusiveness - were prowling about. One of them got something small with long legs and long toes. For a worrying while it was feared that it was the Crake, but having had a think - and a check of comparative sizes - I reckon a Water Rail was the most likely victim. Whichever, it was robbed by a Crow, which spent a long while gleefully hidden with the remains.

A Common Sand flew in and vanished into cover - first for the year, would you believe! - and there were still scatterings of wintering waders and waterfowl, though no hirundines or anything else Spring-like.

I was a very cold but very happy birder on my way home, I can tell you!

Be Seeing You...

[[* Irony being ironic, it got last-minute covid-cancelled. ]]