All white in the end

Having had the morning wrecked by work and weather (good job there's no women in my life as I'd get no birding done) I headed off to Whitley Bay where SPP put me onto the splendid Blue headed Wagtail. I then headed up the coast and was snapping away at some Turnstones when Phil called me. 'Is the Great White Egret still at Prestwick Carr?' he asked. My heart sank. 'What Great White Egret?' Patch nightmare as new bird was there and I was here. Off I set gambling on the A1 being quicker than the spine road. After following Sunday drivers, tractors and a clapped out Datsun I eventually got up to speed north of Morpeth and arrived on patch to find a whole team of twitchers all searching vainly for a bid white bird. Some aspersions were cast as to the validity of the sighting being in the horse paddocks where there were many horses, pipits, wagtails but no apparent Egret. I tried to turn a Mallard on the far flash into a Grebe but as we all stared into the sunlit fields I chatted to Ian, Bill, Tim, Janet and anybody else who would listen about Carr goings on but evenytually gave up. Back home for a Sausage and Pasta Bake I settled down with a glass of the red stuff when GB texted me that the bird had been found. I returned to find Craig watching the adult in breeding plumage standing next to the very flash of water I had been staring at just half an hour before. Patch well and trully ticked ADMc and BMo arrived and just as we settled down for extended viewing with the setting sun allowing better views, the bird took off and headed high to the north east.

Number 194 on the PC all time list and No 157 for me with the year list creeping up toward the ton. Come on down Little / Catle Egret!