Collingham, West Yorkshire - 6.10.20
When I'm out in southern Spain I see hundreds of Hoopoe's resident even during the winter months but also a bird that partly migrates wintering in sub-saharan Africa. A few days ago images started to appear of a Hoopoe feeding in gardens of a small housing estate in Collingham, West Yorkshire, thou interesting it wasn't enough to chance a visit with all the difficulties of access to private properties, in any case my experience are Hoopoe's are difficult to approach and sure to disrupt the local residents.
A few days later the Hoopoe had changed its feeding habits and taken to a nearby cricket field with some unbelievable close images...wow now that's got may attention and a visit was quickly moved to the top of my to do list, checking the weather forecast there was a window of opportunity the next day in fact the only opportunity before heavy rain appeared for the remainder of the week....get the gear ready !
Parking up around 9.30am and making my way the the cricket filed there's already a ring of photographers at one end with the Hoopoe feeding on grubs and leather jacket lava, on occasion the bird moving within three meters of the bank of big white 500mm lens poking at it...unbelievable, this can't be the Hoopoe I've encountered in the past can it !
Eurasian Hoopoe
