Sketchbook Page - 2. In search of the Ibis part three.

For years I've saved first county sightings of certain species of bird, for enjoyment at my local patch only - Glossy Ibis is one of those. When news of one frequenting the meadows at Titchfield Haven NNR filtered through, I looked forward to drawing this enigmatic bird feeding in one of my favourite landscapes. Fool that I am! Cutting a long saga short, over the weekend I failed.

This morning was to be our last ditch attempt to see it (which is probably where it spends most the time hiding). Rosie and I were out at dawn checking the northern meadows for any sign of it and this time.......proved no different, not a hint of gloss anywhere.

However, during this search things havn't been fruitless. One of the aspects of nature that inspires me is the odd juxtaposition of species. This morning, while we were enjoying very close views of a Cetti's Warbler singing from a bush overhanging the canal, it was joined by a Treecreeper, an odd combination indeed.

On the sunday, we came across a newly arrived Short-eared Owl, hunting over the water-meadows. It performed majestically, with a Black-headed Gull in close attention for about 10 minutes, before dropping into the meadow and out of sight. Let's face it,  all things considered, it's a lot smarter bird than an Ibis!