Spurred on by finding the Ruff in Winwick and getting some decent photos, I then headed off to
Houghton Green Flash to see the
Greenshank that's been reported here fro the last couple of days.
With no obvious places to stop, I've always found parking at Houghton Green Flash difficult and today was no different. I ended up parking on a grass verge in front of a hedge where I thought the public footpath entrance was - I later found out that I should have parked further down the road to where the footpath actually starts and where there space for one or two cars just off the road. I'll know for next time!
After a quick look through my binoculars from the roadside, I spotted the Greenshank on the far bank and set off to get closer to it there. The water was very low today (although not perhaps as low as it has been) and there wasn't really much else about. I did see a Ruff, a few Wagtails, some Mallards and a couple of Gulls, but that was all.
After spending sometime following the bird from a safe distance as it fed, I realised that I wasn't going to get close by doing this. It moved very quickly along the water's edge and was always alert to any danger. So I decided to sit down with my camera on a tripod in amongst some vegetation close to the strip of shoreline that it seemed to like best. And sure enough, after waiting about 20 minutes it came round the pool to the bank right in front of me. This is probably the closest I've ever been to a Greenshank.
