Nothing will stop me.....

Well, when I say nothing, that is clearly not true. What did not stop me today was a stinking cold I developed in the last couple of days. I had always planned on doing a trip out but a bad nights sleep meant a late start. The weather was also a bit iffy to say the least so I decided to be focused. The spring migration has not really getting going yet and few new birds are around. One nice one I've not got yet is glossy ibis. This used to be a really rare bird but is now one on the "next to breed" list. They occur in small numbers though and can be tricky to pin down. One has been in semi-residence at Cuckmere Haven near Brighton for a few weeks so I decided to go for this. With leaving about 9.30 I hoped to avoid the worst of the traffic but the M25 and the M23 were both heavy so I didn't get to the site till almost 11.30.
I've been past it a few times but never stopped. The location was the Exeat bridge which is next to a pub with a convenient carpark. I drove in and pulled on my full wet weather gear as it was spitting with rain and my cold was still present and correct!!! The bridge crossed a river with marshy ground both up- and downstream. Fortunately the directions said the bird favoured north of the bridge so I tried there first. There weren't a lot of other birds around and the viewing was quite good. It only took me about 5 minutes to spot a distinctive dark shape.

Glossy ibis look quite exotic, with their down-curved bill and glossy plumage. At this range though all you could really make out was the shape!
I did move down the road and got a bit closer whilst braving the passing traffic.

 Th ibis is in the middle the photo above! I watched it for about 10 minutes as the cars and buses came past me. I must say I got some very strange looks from the drives and passengers. It was feeding quite happily, probing into the mud for worms.

As the rain started to return I headed back to the car and wended my way back home. Another good year tick and a lot better than sitting at home and feeling sorry for myself!!!