📖 2018/Update #10 ~ Gloucestershire

🌤 5C Sunday 4th February 2018 ~ A much better day weather wise, although a biting northerly airflow making it feel bitterly cold!

Record shot of Penduline Tit at Plock court

With the long-staying Plock Court Penduline Tit literally just across the road from our hotel, we decided to start our day here, forgoing a report of yesterdays Glossy Ibis showing on the south lake back at Slimbridge. Despite visiting myself last month, Dee was keen to go have a look at this rare UK visitor. On arrival the bird was showing, although distant in the usual spot feeding on the reedmace to the rear of the small reedbed, a half dozen photographers lined up and waiting!

Stonechat at Plock Court

We spent a short while here, the bird not coming too close, also noting a smart pair of Stonechat before we moved off. Where next? Glossy Ibis or a short drive to look for the Richard's Pipit at Arlington! With a likely chance of seeing Glossy Ibis somewhere else later in the year we decided on the latter.

Dee's record shot of the not to ellusive Richard's Pipit!

Arriving a short time later and parking opposite Slowe House we set off along a right of way through a muddy farm yard then onward to the flood defence embankment which overlooks the Severn Estuary. Finding this bird was likely to be a challenge, with at this point, few birders on site. After a good while back and forth along the embankment we met a welsh birder who told us he'd just sighted the bird much further down, apparently feeding alongside a Skylark not far rom the waters edge. Off we went to the designated area, and after a half hour the only birds sighted (4) Skylark and a Meadow Pipit!! To be honest Dee was beginning to freeze up, me too for that matter and so we decided to have one last look in the birds favoured field and depart. Talk about can't see the wood for the trees, not sure if it was there all along but it was no more that 150 yards away when we arrived back, apparently in its favoured spot!!

I did promise Dee a day in the Forest of Dean today but with the long search and the day ebbing away we decided to head back to WWT Slimbridge for a late lunch and a short search for the Glossy Ibis before heading home!