Crakes and Rare Herons!

 Crakes and Rare Herons!

We arrived at North Cave Wetlands (East Yorkshire) at 5:30am, in hopes of seeing a reported Spotted Crake. When we arrived, it didn't take long before it was spotted. The bird was showing well from Turret Hide on Island Lake on the mud in the Northeast corner. It ran, at speed in and out of the reeds and started feeding alongside a Water Rail. It was distant but showed well. It was just difficult to see the plumage, as the sun light wasn't located in that area yet. A Water Rail came out, away from the Spotted Crake, but still on Island Lake and surprisingly showed well in the water. A Red Kite also flew past with several Green and Common Sandpipers present. We then headed over to Pagham Harbour (Sidlesham, West Sussex) which took us, at least 5 hours, due to the Sunday motorway works (set off at 8:30, arrived at 1:40). We went...optimistically...once again...for a reported Squacco Heron. There, we parked in a layby at the end of Mill Lane and alongside Halsey's Farm. We went on the public footpath, past the gates and along the wide gravel path until we reached a metal gate with planks on one side, allowing you to go on the other side. We walked over the planks and continued walking past two fields, until we reached the sea wall, called North Wall. There, we had word from two other birders that someone told them the target had flown off. We were chatting in the shade when another birder came down, from further up the wall, asking "Do you not want to see the Squacco Heron?". Surprisingly, it had never left! It was in the river channel on the other side of the sea wall. We viewed it superbly, as it caught two fish and went up on the bank to eat them. Two Spotted Redshanks were also spotted by Lewis, who knew them by their call before he put his bins on it, as they flew overhead; as well as a huge flock of Grey Plover  (the third and final lifer off the day, with the Spotted Crake and Squacco Heron being the other two) in the distance. We then went to Gilkicker where we dipped some Dartford Warblers. We were not discouraged and went to Hill Head where we searched flocks of common terns roosting on the beach, constantly flying up and moving location. The tide was coming in fast and I was ever hopeful, when scanning the flocks. We asked Lewis from the Squacco Heron Twitch if one juvenile terns was a black tern and he answered no. He kindly came over to help, as he only lived 10 minutes away, and although we dipped the Black tern, we knew from his expertise that there was not black terns there to be found. Overall, a smashing day leaving me with 199 lifers. Waiting for that next rarity to show up for my 200th bird.