Twitching a mega rare Hudsonian Godwit at Burton Mere RSPB and thoughts on the evolution of Godwit migration
Hudsonian Godwit I was planning to visit Rachel, my lovely middle daughter, and her family in Sale on Tuesday but she unfortunately had a bad migraine so we rearranged the visit for later in the week. Suddenly, presented with a free day, I checked RBA and, with nothing rare to temp me, thought about some local birding. C and I were drinking coffee around 10:00 and I was bemoaning the lack of rarities this year compared to last when a report of a mega rare Hudsonian Godwit at Burton Mere RSPB reserve in Cheshire hit the headlines. Needing this for my UK list, rapid apologies and packing the car followed and off I went in the usual twitcher mixed state of excitement and apprehension. It should have been a 2 hour journey but the M6 was at its horrific worst and I didn’t arrive until just before 1pm. The bird had been continuously reported in a large flock of Godwits viewed from the Border hide some 30 minutes’ walk from the visitors centre. What followed was the usual progression