** Dungeness RSPB Reserve. **

After reading the last few days or so about the Glossy Ibis, (also known in English, possibly in olden times as the Black Curlew)  at Dungeness RSPB Reserve I thought is was about time I went to see for myself, of hope to see it. It couldn't have been a better day, bright sunshine, very warm, 17c.
Once we arrived at Dunge instead of going to the visitors centre first, we went to the ARC pit Hanson Hide as this is where the Glossy Ibis has been seen. I was lucky enough to, sit in, as greenie puts it "Ken's seat"  KB 05, could that be because I left my mark there shortly after it was built.
 I was expecting it to be quite busy but quite the opposite there was only 2 couples in there. I sat, scanning in the hope of seeing the Glossy Ibis. I stayed for about 40 minutes but it was a no show, but there was a bird species on the water that I wasn't expecting to see today, a female Goldeneye. I decided to leave and come back later, so we made our way to the centre. The species of bird seen before heading to the centre was:
G/B/G/GULL, L/B/B/GULL,HERRING GULL, B/H/GULL, COMMON GULL, CORMORANT, GREYLAGS, MUTE SWAN, COOT, MOORHEN, MALLARD, TUFTED DUCK, POCHARD, GADWALL, TEAL, WIGEON, PINTAIL, SHOVELER, G/C/GREBE, KESTREL,
MARSH HARRIER( one of them was a beautiful buff coloured underneath, who kept harassing a Shoveler non stop for at least 10 minutes)
There was also some waders showing: LAPWING, SNIPE, RUFF, GREENSHANK, DUNLIN,

At the centre after saying hello to Gill who was in the office and  having a chat with Mary there hadn't been any birds out of the ordinary to go and see, so I decided to  concentrate on birding over at the ARC pit.
As we was leaving the reserve there was a few Tree Sparrows on the feeders. The next thing on our agenda was a some refreshment, then it was off to the hide...again.On the way there a Cetti's Warbler was singing,
How lucky was I my seat was free (yess). The temperature was up one degree, now 18c jumper weather. It was now about 2pm, and I had been told that the Ibis showed itself about 30-40 minutes ago (just my luck) so now I was on alert mode, scanning the island to the left, the one with a lot of vegetation, that is where it was seen.
The hide, was starting to fill up, then a birder on the right of me said "There it is". The GLOSSY IBIS had decided to put in a appearance, I had only been waiting for only 15-20 minutes to see the bird I came  to see.
It looks very dark, from a distance but scoped up to 70x and with the light on the Ibis it looked more brown and glossy, sometimes slightly iridescent on the wings.
The Ibis was happily feeding out in the open at a distance, but I had to try to get some sort of record shot of it just to say that I have seen it, plus although not at all very good,  I thought I would add it to this posting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

** I was looking up in my records as to when I first saw a Glossy Ibis and it just happens it was on

the 1st October 2009 at Dungeness RSPB Reserve, ARC Pit, Hanson Hide, and there was a group of 5 of them.**

Back to my "Bird of the Day" and that is a no brainer.... the *** GLOSSY IBIS.***