This morning had a real feeling of 'deja vous' about it , as following Simon's postng last night that the Jack Snipe had been seen again in Mote Park , Maidstone . Mind you , I was having second thoughts as I neared the M25 , to find a swirling blizzard and fog . Hoping I would run out of the weather as I headed East , I continued , knowing that I only had till midday to try again for the two species that I missed out on last week .
Luckily , the weather did indeed improve from Wrotham Hill onwards , and by the time I reached the park , it was dry underfoot . More importantly , the water level in the old pond behind the waterfall was as normal , compared to the raised level last week .
Getting there at about 8.30 , I managed to get variable views of Water Rail for about 15/20
minutes , before it disappeared up the gully . Searched the vegetation , without luck for the Jack Snipe , till along came Simon , heading to meet a group for a guided tour of the park , and within seconds , he had found it . I must admit , that if I had searched all day , I wouldn't have spotted 
it , oh for sharp young eyes again . I'm glad to say , the Snipe was still in situ when Simon and his group arrived , and they too were very pleased to see the rarity . I stayed till midday , but apart from moving it's head position , it stayed well tucked up in the dead vegetation .Many thanks to Simon ( Mote Park - A Wildlife Patchwork ) again for his information and 'young eyes' .
5 comments:
I'm so pleased you managed to see the Jack Snipe - its a shame I couldn't stay longer with you. Fantastic shot of the Water Rail!
Jack Snipe and Water Rail on the same day, and a photo of them both...you're spoilt rotten!
Nice one Greenie, glad your mission was accomplished.I think I know what you mean about Deja Vous....got a feeling i've been there!
Well done on both birds Greenie, lovely photo of the Water Rail!
Hi Greenie, I'm glad to see you found the Jack Snipe in the end
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