13/07/2016 Twitching the Collared Pratincole

Wednesday  13 July 2016
Ham Wall RSPB, Somerset

• Drove up to Somerset this morning to twitch the collared pratincole that has been there since 10 July. The bird duly obliged with some smashing flight views in front of an appreciative, large audience. 

Collared pratincole

• I did't have enough time to look for the little bitterns that were present.  An obliging water rail was a bonus and , on the way home, I saw several red kites on the M3 as I neared the M25 intersection.

Ham Wall RSPB is the site where I saw the Hudsonian Godwit on my way up to North Wales for a birding holiday with Brian, Graham and Harvey two years ago.
The collared pratincole is a bird of open country, and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. It is found in the warmer parts of Europe, southwest Asia and Africa. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, and is rare north of the breeding range.

It is a rare vagrant to the UK





Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Collared pratincole   (223)

Addition to BUBO UK Life List:
Collared pratincole   (315)