Over the last couple of years I’ve tried four times to ‘tick off’ a wryneck... and four times it’s eluded me. So, when one turned up on the Severals last week I figured ‘I got you now!’ Being busy on the Sunday and having to go shopping in Brighton (I know, shopping instead of birding!), I crossed my fingers and hoped that both pied flycatcher and wryneck reported would stay long enough to pick them up the following day.
Picked up mum early Monday morning and headed straight out. We checked behind the hide at Church Norton, picking up a garden warbler and chiffchaffs, but no flycatchers, pied or otherwise. Still, there was a wryneck with my name on it, so off to the Severals where we found a few other hopeful souls scouring the bushes and fields. Having worked through great spotted and green woodpeckers surely it was only a matter of time before their cousin joined the party. Well, no. A pair of sparrowhawks, whitethroat and grey plover was as good as it got – still not happy about that shopping!
Now a couple of days went by and... a wryneck at the Severals was reported. No chance to get down Wednesday evening as I was distracted by the lure of drinks and nibbles at sunset (a far more understandable excuse than shopping). This was the Friends of Pagham Harbour’s, Salthouse Sundown event, and a very pleasant evening in good company it was too.
Anyway, first thing Thursday morning I found myself back at the Severals where a couple of the local birders had seen my nemesis just 10 minutes earlier! Time ticked by... whitethroat. More time ticking by... and a good movement of sand martins. Still more time gone by and... I had to go to work! Needless to say after I had gone, out it popped. It continued to show at various times throughout the day, being seen by a number of visitors, but not me. My quest for a wryneck continues.
Still, not everything has been avoiding me – whilst out ‘Birding for Beginners’ a ruff showed beautifully on the Breech Pool at North Wall and we were really able to appreciate it’s gorgeous plumage. Along with the ruff were spotted redshanks and a number of black-tailed godwits in a variety of moults and plumage which was great to help our budding birders look for the details. By the end of our session they were picking out their finches from their warblers and identifying egrets, avocets, little grebes and lots more. Just a shame we couldn’t show them a wryneck as well.
My adversary: the wryneck.