So our first full day in
Cambridge I decided to tackle the Lady Amherst’s Pheasant to try and see it
before the species goes extinct in the Western Palearctic. I’m sure my family
were thrilled when I arose at half 5 in the morning to set myself up and then
be on my way.
I had worked it out, so I had a
50 min walk into Cambridge itself, followed by an 80 min coach journey to
Bedford, followed by a train to the village where the bird was supposedly
residing. I did not know if I would see the bird, or how long it would take. I
envisaged that I may have to spend most of my holiday given the patchy nature
of sightings but since time was running out I really wanted to see it before it
died.
I arrived on site for 9.00 and
recognised it immediately from the photos I had seen of the site. I then set up
for my long, lonely watch. At around quarter past 9 I was joined by another 3
birders which helped pass the time and give another 3 pairs of eyes for the
watch.
At 25 past 9 the unthinkable happened.
The bird put in an appearance. On the back of the ridge that we were looking
down the birds head appeared, clearly showing the large white on the back of
the head. It moved to show the red on the rump but the tail remained obscured.
It did not last long as the bird quickly moved away down the far side of the
ridge, running away from us. It was probably spooked by our rapid reactions to
its presence, but it all happened so quickly that there was not much we could
do.
It all happened much too quickly
for a photo, but we knew we had seen it and so cued the celebrations. I was
thrilled, but of the 4 of us present only 2 of us had picked it up, so I felt a
little disappointed for the other guys, especially since one was my age and it
would have been a lifer for all of them.
We continued to wait but there
was no sight or sound. We had great views of Long-Tailed Tit and Blue Tit but
there was little else besides a large group of 7 Squirrels feeding in the area
on the path. A Green Woodpecker flew overhead which was a yeartick for me and a
great opportunity to get my bogey bird out of the way.
It took 2 hours before the LAP
showed itself again. I caught a glimpse of its head clearly coming over the
ridge and responded by quickly going for the camera. As soon as I got to the
satchel on my shoulder I realised I had made a mistake as the bird had strolled
very quickly across the gap. I could only watch as the bird strutted across the
top of the ridge before re-entering the scrub. Its profile was distinct and I
got a good view of the tail feathers. Sadly I could not get my hands back quick
enough for the bins but I could see enough without them. It was a much better
view second time than the first and really got to grips with the remaining
plumage features.
Fortunately the other 2 guys saw
it this time, but the man who had seen it initially missed it this time. Either
way, it was great that we had all seen it, even though its appearances added up
to less than 10 seconds in total. That was that for the rest of my stay. The 3
other gentlemen left and I was joined by a host of new birders that totalled 7
by the time I left at 3 o’clock, bringing my hours spent up to 6 watching the
woodland.
The only remaining sign I got was
when it called 3 times at 2.00 but it was further down the bank and did not
sound like it would be returning to the ridge any time soon. Also given that
the wind had picked up and that it was supposed to rain, and that there was
more of a crowd now I decided to call it quits. I was a very happy bloke though,
that’s for sure. Having got to grips with my target species at the first time
of asking when I thought I would be spending days looking for it. Result!
I headed back and made it back to
Cambridge for 6, just in time to crash exhausted in the caravan and enjoying a
well-earned victory dinner. I spent 6 hours at the site and saw the bird for
less than 10 seconds, but the anticipation made the time fly by, and the bird
itself made the trip worthwhile. First lifer of the holiday; the last tickable
Lady Amherst’s Pheasant in the UK, a bird possibly as old as I am!
Species List:
Lidlingham: Blackbird, Dunnock, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Green
Woodpecker, Common Pheasant, Long-Tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Jackdaw,
Common Buzzard, Rook, Carrion Crow, Mistle Thrush
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