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20 Nov 2015  Punkbird

After yesterday's school run, I popped back to see the Crostwick Hoopoe. I had seen it at the weekend, but only watched it for a few seconds due to horrible weather and parental duties. I've been struggling to think through how many Hoopoes I have seen in Britain. Surprisingly, it may only be one - and that was 25 years ago (Ravenscar, N Yorks), on a school birdwatching club outing where we also saw an East Coast Red-eyed Vireo. Perhaps I have seen others, but I can't remember them. I know I have dipped a few - a couple in London and Kent, for example. But I've never travelled out of my way for one, given how frequently one encounters them in Europe.

Wildlife

James Lowen 

So time for a bit of enjoyment. The bird fed constantly in a paddock, rapidly probing the sodden turf to extract invertebrates and earthworms.  Occasionally, it raised its crest fully - a Punkbird if ever there was one. It started off pretty distant - perhaps 60m away - but gradually worked it way closer, approaching to within a cricket pitch length or so. Had there been any light at all, the pics would have been great. As it was, I had to contend with slow shutter speeds and relatively high ISO. But a great bird.