Crake Expectations

An early morning visit to Wilstone Reservoir with Brendan. Quite a chilly start to the day, a long time since I can remember it being this cold in the morning. We parked up near cemetery corner and made our way towards the jetty. On our walk a Common Sandpiper flew from the edge of the reservoir. Only 2 other birders were on site which was quite a surprise given that a Spotted Crake is such a good local bird. We set up our scopes and scanned the edge of the far reedbed. I was straight onto what I thought was the Spotted Crake, however, the light was not good and the edge of the reservoir had a thin layer of mist. I alerted Brendan and he too thought the bird was a Spotted Crake, but the bird soon disappeared without us getting a clear view. We continued scanning the edge of the reed bed and soon connected with 2 adult and 2 juvenile Water Rail. The light was now much better and the mist had lifted. Quite soon one of the other birders said he thought he had the Crake and sure enough he did and this time it was showing much better. The Spotted Crake continued to show itself for at least the next forty minutes and at one time was close to a Water Rail that it soon chased off but was useful for a comparison. Garganey, Little Egret, Sparrowhawk, Reed Warbler, Common Tern were also noted.