Brecks Crex

Early August is never the most exciting month to go birding round the Nunnery Lakes, but a lunchtime wander can be quite a nice break from the office.  One such wander this lunchtime was fairly uneventful, I spent 15 minutes counting Peacock, Large and Small White, Comma, Meadow Brown and Small Copper butterflies for the Big Butterfly Count given the lack of general birdlife around the reserve.  However, just as I headed back to the office and walked along the overgrown footpath by Bob Clarke Lake, up from beneath my feet flushed a small streaky bird with dangling legs.  With my mind elsewhere, it took me a few seconds to put the features together as I watched it drop again a bit further along the path.  Certain it was something interesting, I slowly walked along the path but unable to see the bird on the ground due to the long grass and overhanging nettles and eventually the bird again flew up from just in front of me and confirmed itself as a Corncrake.  Unfortunately on this second occasion it flew across the river and despite a search of the meadow it looked to have dropped into a short while later and again by Nick and others later on, it wasn't seen again.