ML550388251

Age and sex

Juvenile, Unknown sex - 1

Tags

Habitat

Observation details

After sensational news broke the previous evening of a juvenile Baillon's Crake on the reserve, I was one of the first to arrive on site just before dawn and reach the Butts Hide. A number of us were scouring the marshy edges of the pool in the half light when I picked up the bird, which seemed to have climbed a little way up some aquatic vegetation and was just about discernible. As the light improved we enjoyed excellent views of it moving along the edge of the pool, and occasionally could watch it in more or less full view. Identified by a combination of characters including size, structure, plumage and primary projection, it was an extraordinary opportunity to see this rare species well in Britain. It was accepted by the London Rarities Committee as the first record for the capital since the 19th century (when there were three records). Photographed badly without flash while still not light

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

ISO

6400

Focal length

420 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/15 sec

Dimensions

2400 pixels x 1600 pixels

Original file size

1.81 MB