So many first sightings

This morning's visit to Exminster Marshes was without doubt my most rewarding to date, and not just because of the birds we saw. It's normal to exchange words of greeting here with walkers, runners, cyclists and of course other bird-watchers (with whom it's often more than a greeting and instead an exchange of information on sightings, past and present) but today seemed like something was in the air, Spring itself perhaps, with everyone seemingly devoid of inhibition and eager to talk, and talk!

Long-tailed tit, shot towards the sun

With the chance of an unusual sighting in the mix today - a Spotted Crake that appeared recently and has been gaining fame in local forums and blogs all week - more bird-watchers were in attendance, some from further afield. At the nearest point to the previous days' sightings started to amass those with impressive optics and composed anticipation.

It's typical in these situations to assess one's own categorisation of bird-watcher - "Am I as keen to see this bird as they are? Does that make me a twitcher?" It's always an easy question for me to answer, but I always conclude the same notion: there are no real rules here, but I think there's something in all of us bird-watchers that finds rarity irresistible.

We impatiently continued our walk along the canal, not before I got into another conversation about the crake, spoonbills and my camera bag with a chap on a bike. He explained precisely where I'd likely see the spoonbill. A few minutes later a lady asked me if I'd seen the Marsh Harriers and proceeded to explain where she and her partner usually spot them. At the point at which I thought the spoonbill might be visible I suddenly caught a large brown bird of prey in my binoculars - the Marsh Harrier, of course, causing trouble on the other side of the marshes with those birds closest by. The harrier soon out of sight, I looked around to finish the discussion regarding my camera lens, started when a passing photographer asking me "how many marsh harriers are there?" mid sighting.

N spotted what we initially thought might be a redshank but after careful scrutiny of my photos this afternoon turns out to have been a Ruff. She always manages to find the obscurer ones!

Ruff

Many more brief chats were had with walkers wondering what bird x is in the distance and other bird-watchers who were still arriving and still had much to see, perhaps the crake if they were lucky.

Never more than now in my life have I valued the positive effects of time spent in nature but the unexpected reminder today was of the importance of human interaction too, added to that an observation of how much more relaxed we all seem two years on, able again to effortlessly yet crucially make connections with each other as complete strangers. Humanity is surely lost if we lose this instinct.

Curlew