ROSE-COLOURED STARLING
Wells, Norfolk
I seriously needed to go straight home after work and go to bed, I am so tired. But at lunch time news bleeped up on the pager of an Adult Rose-coloured Starling on the quayside feeding on fatballs in a garden!!! I was secretly hoping that it wouldn't stay, but of course it did. Finished work and flew home, birding gear and a bottle of water in car and I was off again! Spoke to Connor who said he also had no intentions of going out this evening. Robert and Connor were on route behind me! I had already planned my tea: fish 'n' chips at Wells, what could be better! Andy W. also went straight from work. Arrived on site and parked the car up. The bird was of course not showing and things looked gloomy. Several people walked up all the little lanes to search for the bird, including myself. The light was dull and got really cold later. The bird had been coming down to feed off the fat balls in an ornamental tree. Suddenly the ROSE-COLOURED STARLING appeared on the fat balls, OMG that was a colourful bird! Wow!!! A stunning bird – can't remember the last time I saw one as beautiful as this – a spectacular bird. I am having an amazing week for rares!!!
The whole evening was just perfect. But the bird then didn't show again for a long time – Andy W. went off to get us both fish 'n' chips. He was gone ages in the queues and on his return he still hadn't missed seeing the bird. We sat on a seat on the quay enjoying our fish 'n' chips, whilst chatting with Connor, Robert, Kieran, Leila and others. Common Terns fishing in the quay, a couple of Little Egrets and House Sparrows were chirping along the quayside. I also had a nice chat with the lovely lady who found the bird two days ago – her cottages is dead opposite her little garden on the opposite side of the road. She was saying how she had met some really nice people today. Connor and Robert had still not seen the bird and the light was fading. As Connor said, its pretty amazing that a Pacific Swift can be relocated, but a big bright colourful bird can not be found in a tiny ornamental tree. I spent ages peering under and over every leaf in the tree and I couldn't find the tiniest glimpse of bright pink or black anywhere. The lady who found it said she didn't think it was in there and that she was sure it had flown up into the big tree to roost. I knew it hadn't left as I hadn't taken my eye off that tree once. I decided to help things along a little bit and coughed a few times as I stood next to the tree and out flew the Rose-coloured Starling – I shouted to Connor and Robert who got a few seconds glimpse of black and pink as it flew up into its roost tree for the night. Robert also spotted a Spoonbill flying east over East Hills in the setting sun. The sunset was beautiful, everyone was happy, the bird had gone to roost and we all left elated.
I said to the others, I'll see you all tomorrow!!! Seriously though, I can't hack the pace much longer!
ROSE-COLOURED STARLING
Wells, Norfolk
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment