Spoonbill..... still here!

I was very surprised at around 5.30 this wet dreary evening when I bumped into my "old friend" or should I say young friend the multi-colour rung Spoonbill. I had been told that he was still being seen but it seems that he has settled down well now and rather than be lonely taken to moving around with a nice egret for company. He was in a totally new pool, not seen him there before, and was disturbed by some walkers on a path that runs nearby.He took to the air and even though he was in the distance I still managed to get a good shot of him up there. Later on from my quiet little corner I was watching Black Headed Gulls waiting for the Green Sandpipers to come closer and perhaps even the reported Wood Sandpiper when all the birds started to act in a strange way. There was a few odd calls and the gulls took to the air for no apparent reason. A quick glance around revealed a Sparrowhawk perched in the open on one of the wooden structures. I did get some record shots but the light by this time was very very dull and I was unable to get any kind of reasonable photo at all. So be content with another look at the Spoonbill and this interesting association with the Egret. It gives you a good idea of the comparative sizes if you have never seen them before. The bat recording was not so successful tonight with only a quick snatch of one bat sound and in fact I only managed to catch a glimpse of 2. This would indicate perhaps male Pippistrelle who roost in smaller numbers than breeding females.