Hoopoe: From Gloucester I headed up to Staffordshire to see the long staying Hoopoe which has surprisingly been present on the site since early December.
Despite getting lost and taking the wrong turn up the M5 I made relatively good time and thanks to a lovely local lady called Rita I managed to find the place.
I parked up beside the bus stop parking area next to the old quarry when Rita was heading back to her car to get some gear. I asked if she knew where the Hoopoe was and she kindly walked me to the site. I would have struggled if it wasn't for her, so if you read this Rita -
**a big thank your for your help**
When Rita and I arrived the bird had been disturbed by a dog walker who spooked it off and we had to wait around an hour for it to return. However the bird seems pretty faithful to the site and the feeding location.
I've seen three Hoopoe in the UK now, but never this close and never this confiding! These birds never get boring, they are great looking birds with their down-turned bill and red-indian like crest.
The whole site was very muddy and wet with lots of rough ground all of which is ideal for Hoopoe who like to spend their time using that incredible bill to dig and find food.
The bird must keep it's whits about it as I saw at least three Fox's all over the site, two were furiously mating so lets hope its moves on long before it becomes dinner for a hungry Mr Fox.
