We saw on Birdguides that the Blythe’s Reed Warbler thathas been around at Hope Carr Nature Reserve had been showing early in the day on the perimiter fence at the sewage works at the end of Hope Carr Terrace. It has been around for a while and we tried to see it the previous Tuesday when the birding group dropped in there after the visit to Pennington Flash. We didn’t have any luck then but we thought we could get there early enough to stand a chance. It had been seen there around 9:30am and we got there about an hour later.
We managed to park along Hope Carr Terrace – along with around thirty other birders – and walked down the path at the side of the sewage works. On the mound that overlooks the sewage works there were people looking for the Black Redstart that had also been seen there the same morning but we headed around one of the ponds and took up position with a lot of other birders looking for this small warbler to appear.
It proved to be very elusive but, eventually, we got a very short view of the bird skulking in the undergrowth under the brambles by the perimeter fence. It was enough to identify it as a Reed Warbler at least and many experienced birders who had much longer and clearer views were in no doubt that it was the Blythe’s Reed Warbler lost on its travels and now stuck in Leigh.
We fully intended staying much longer but a security guard came along and told everyone they had to move their cars from the long layby we had all parked in. Despite it not being part of the road he alleged it was private property and that it had to be cleared to get trucks in. I doubt that that was the case but, as it had gotten full, people had started parking very casually so he probably had some point. Needless to say many people were disgruntled but most started to go back to their cars. At least we had managed to get a view, albeit a brief one, of a good life tick.
As I was about to leave, I looked up and saw a crow having a scrap with a Sparrowhawk – a year first for me.
