always too distant for anything over than crappy record shots

there hadn't been a glossy ibis since the one and only record in 1898. today i saw 11. got to brading marsh at dawn hoping to catch the 7 that were seen last night before they (inevitably!) left the island. first 1 then 6 flew in from their roost over bembridge ponds way. the single dropped down to the pool on the west side of the river where the flock had been seen last night. the 6 circled then headed purposefully north along the coast towards seaview. we crossed the river and had good views of the single on the deck but that didn't stay long and soon flew low back towards bembridge ponds. walking back to the green bridge i then picked up a new bird circling over the valley out from the sewage works. it flew straight towards us but veered to the side and dropped down into the flash between us and bexley point. within minutes it was in the air again - with 3 others! the 4 continued out over the harbour and were lost to view over the duver, heading north. the regular wintering female marsh harrier has also returned today.

kleenex?

out in the open here, normally creeping furtively through grass. bit of feeding action at the end of vid.

went back for another go on the pec. actually difficult to get a decent pic cos it's not comfortable being out in the open. got a vid with it + my shadow in, got a photo where you can see my reflection in its eye, blah, blah, blah, typical confiding yank wader.

star in the hood - one of ventnor's famous wall lizards, probably wondering why it's baking on the last day of september

day spent sunning it up on the beach at compton. saw my 1st arctic tern for a few years. hobby over the road at whale chine. twitched the pec at scp on the way home. what a great find that was, but wonder how long it's been there? behaving like a jack snipe, super unobtrusive, v confiding, wont flush just crouches when approached. my 1st yank wader on iow.

uncomfortable in a t shirt before sun up in late sep, didn't feel like i should be looking for sibes. up culver had hobby, firecrest, 7 herons + 9 xbills in east wind.