Small but perfectly formed

With the year starting to wind down, although not yet getting wintry, the number of opportunities for lifers is starting to diminish.  On Monday evening an alert went our for a rare bird only 45 miles from me. The photos clearly showed a little crake but there was a bit of doubt about location and veracity. Quickly it was clarified that it was indeed kosher and was at Linford Lakes near Milton Keynes. Tuesday was already booked for me for a trip to Kent so the reports of it showing well were interesting to say the least. Wednesday was horrid weather and I couldn't get out. By Thursday, when I could go, there was anther fly in the ointment. Linford Lakes is a private reserve with no general access. Early on members had been manning the gate and taking an entrance fee to allow access (and managing the rather small car park). By Thursday it appeared the volunteers had dried up and no public access was to be allowed. Very quickly those who hadn't already been worked out that you could still get in, by joining the reserve online. In exchange for membership you got immediate notification of access codes for the gates and the hides. So, I did this and set off early for the trip up the M1. A closed road delayed me slightly but it was still only about 7.30 when I got to the reserve and 7.45 by the time I got into the hide. It wasn't that big with 4 viewing windows and pretty much all the seats were taken so I stood at the back peering over peoples heads. The views you had were those below. 

The crake had already been spotted but some way off to the left of the hide. Good news though was that meant the chances were that a short wait would get a sighting. In the end it took about half an hour before one of the early-birds with a thermal imager got onto a heat-source in the reeds. Of course, us normal people couldn't yet see it but he was convinced it was the bird. Finally a small shape appeared on the far edge of the reeds almost opposite the hide.

I guess this was about 20 yards away. I had managed to secure a spot where I could poke my lens out and start snapping away.

Little crakes are certainly small, about 17cm long or 2/3rds the size of a water rail. They breed in southern Europe and Winter in Africa though very small numbers do breed (or attempt to) here. They are not really rare, occurring most years but in very small numbers. This of  course is not helped by their size and skulking habit so many may go unnoticed. 

For no more than 2 or 3 minutes it worked its way long the far edge of the reeds picking up small insects to feed on. 

Just as it looked like it was going to show really well in an area out of the reeds it turned around and headed back the way it had come. For 30 minutes or so there was no sight of it, then it appeared on the far reed bed carrying on feeding voraciously.

It spent a few minutes on the edge then disappeared again deeper in.

I stayed for almost 90 minutes longer but it didn't show again. The hide by now had emptied a bit as some people went to work and then filled as the late arrivers joined us. With a work party as Maple Lodge in the afternoon I called it a day and headed back home for some lunch. 

Another really good day. My 413th bird in the UK and 7th this year. I'd like to get another one or two before the year end but that is very much in the lap of the gods!!