Encouraged by Kev Wilson's LBC web report of connecting with the 7 Spoonbills from Jackson's Hide at Gib. Pt. this morning, I decided to drive over and check on them this afternoon (Mon) - solo, today, as my son Alex is off to the bright lights of London for a few days ( apparently, there used to be a bright light in Lincoln once but then there was a power-cut and it never reappeared.)
Arriving at Jackson's Hide at 4.50pm, the hide was empty and there were no Spoonbills. Moving on to Harvey's Hide (where I had seen the 8 birds with Terry Whalin on 14 June), I was initially apprehensive - that hide was empty, too - but delighted to find 5 Spoonbills (including the 2 colour-ringed birds) out in front.
The 5 Spoonbills remained mainly in the resting/roosting position with occasional preening and stretching, and one bird actually squatted on the ground a few times.
Other interest included a fly-by Cuckoo, an active Green Sandpiper, Reed Warblers feeding young in a nest just in front of the hide, plus the numerous Avocets forever acting territorially and watching over their young - already feeding with the classic side-to-side bill action.
I left Harvey's Hide at c 6.30pm (actually it was 6.32pm .....so as to help Edmund M's collection of specific notes for his Spoonbill timings file -
)and, since arriving at Gib. Pt. at 4.45, I hadn't encountered a single birder - or anybody for that matter. I'd had sole (brief) occupation of Jackson's Hide earlier and no-one joined me in Harvey's Hide during my 90 minute stint there. The Tennyson's Hides appeared empty, too.
Finally, I must add that despite the loneliness of the long-distance birder today, Gib. Pt. was looking its very best in the late afternoon/ early evening sunshine. The panoramic view from Harvey's Hide is superb and it must be one of the very best views from any hide in Lincs (or beyond), and the view today included some super birds. I reckon on today's showing, for me at any rate, Gibraltar Point is vying with "honey-pot" RSPB Frampton Marsh in the birding delivery stakes.
Regards,
Freddy
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