Little Cracker.....Blacktoft Sands RSPB.....17.09.2019.

On occasions working night shifts does have it's advantages,today was certainly one of them,as when i woke up at lunch time,a quick check on Birdguides and a message from birding buddy Tim,telling me there was a Little Crake at Blacktoft Sands RSPB.
 A fairly quick exit of the house was quickly executed and i was on the road and about 50 minutes later i was on site.
 I arrived to the expected packed hide overlooking Townend Lagoon and eventually managed to get a seat,now was the waiting game of seeing the bird.
 Eventually the bird appeared briefly and this was the scenario over the next hour and a half i was on site,but piece by piece i managed some fairly distant views of this new species for myself and only the second record for Yorkshire of this diminutive species,the last being seen at Spurn in 1946!.
 It was tiny and certainly lived up to it's name being similar size to a Song Thrush and being slightly smaller than it's cousin the Spotted Crake,which amazingly was also on site.
 After gaining my fill of views and obviously being slightly weary from my nightshift,i travelled home to catch up with more sleep before my next shift,but was really glad to have seen this super little bird.

Female Little Crake,You Can See Clearly The Green Bill And Almost Make Out The Reddish Bill Base  On These Very Distant,Heavy Crops,Which Was Noticeable Through The Scope.

Female Little Crake.

Juvenile Male Ruff.