On the 25th we headed down to Cornwall for a two week holiday. We were going to stay on Cape Cornwall, the second most westerly point of Great Britain and a truly wild place. On the way, we stopped off a Marazion Marsh to look for a spotted crake, or an aquatic warbler, both of which are specialities at the reserve. In pouring rain, we failed to see either, the only birds of any vague interest being several little egrets, a sedge warbler and a chiffchaff.
We returned to the marsh early the next morning. On the way, I picked up my first common sandpiper of the year at Penzance, wading in the mud. We got to the marsh and headed to the Standing Stone, a notoriously good spot for crakes and waders. There were about a dozen birdwatchers there, and right in front of them was a small, starling-sized bird creeping through the reeds. It was the magnificent spotted crake, a first for me, and a superb bird. This skulking bird is one of the hardest British breeders to see, its secretive habits combined with its generally inaccessible choice of habitat has resulted in it being very difficult to come across. The crake eventually crept out of the reeds allowing a magnificent view in the early morning sun. It was about as good a start as we could have hoped for the holiday.
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