As a photographer was driving through Eagland Hill, Lancashire, recently, he encountered a bird that he thought was a bit unusual. So he took a picture of it and sent it to a birding friend of his who, quickly identified it as a juvenile Purple Heron! Very unusual in December, more of a spring/summer visitor to our country. It further turns out that it is the first one to be found on The Fylde since the 1970`s.
One of our number had yet to catch up with Purple Heron in this country, so the troops were put on stand by for a morning trip to see it, if it remained. Thursday dawned and news that the bird was still present in a similar area of Eagland Hill were it had been photographed originally. We met in Whitworth and headed for the coast in my latest vehicle (could this be the last one?) New (second hand) vehicles always come up with some oddity, and as we left the M6 and headed for the A6 north the Sat-Nav seemed to send us in the wrong direction, did she know a better way we thought? After 10 miles heading in the wrong direction we turned around and got back on track. How can you lose your satellites, thats what the lady kept saying? Anyway we were soon nearing Eagland Hill along the single track road and the rain began to fall with some real gusto, eventually we arrived at the right place to the news that the bird was showing really well not 80 yards away! After parking the car we dashed along the road and enjoyed great views of the bird as people said, We have been waiting hear for two hours in the rain for the bird to appear I think they were giving us a message somewhere? The landowner kindly allowed us onto his property to get a few pictures of the bird after we showed him the heron through our telescopes. The rain was beginning to get through a little bit as we headed off to hopefully see a Lesser Snow Goose at Warton Bank.
With the Sat-Nav sending us on the correct road we reached Warton and began to search for the goose of unknown origin. As the rain, mercifully, began to ease the Snow Goose was picked out at distance with a flock of Canada Geese, which are not well known carrier species for Snow Goose. Whatever it was, a nice bird to round the day of with. Strange not to see any harriers in this area, guess the weather put them off!
