Collingham, West Yorkshire 05-10-2020
I made a morning visit to this location, arriving at dawn. I walked around the local streets hoping to see this long-staying bird but without success. I then moved on to the adjacent sports field where the bird had been seen feeding regularly. After about an hour and after a few more photographers/birders had arrived, the bird appeared in the centre of the field literally yards away. Here it stayed until I left around 11am.
I met a few friends including Paul Coombes and we had a bit of a chat whilst socially distancing - as the bird fed it often approached us very closely and I managed to capture a few decent shots and a short video. No-one pushed the bird unnecessarily and it was a good experience for everyone, including the bird. A great showy bird which didn't disappoint as it flexed its wings and threw grubs into air before swallowing.
