I arrived at Southease at 9.15am and started walking south towards Piddinghoe. The only birds around were Fieldfares in the nearby fields and Buzzards in the distance. Meeting Bob Self and Chris Brown halfway down the river we scanned all the fields where the Crane had been seen yesterday, but there was no sign anywhere. After hanging around for a while it was obvious it was not present so we walked back to Southease in the biting wind.
I decided to stay by the car to try and warn up before i walked back down to have another look. Whilst leaning against my car a large raptor caught my eye as it slowly drifted north. It was a superb Red Kite, unfortunately being mobbed by corvids. It slowly moved on and lost to view.
Red Kite at SoutheaseAfter a long wait, my phone rang and the delightful news of the Crane reappearing was recieved. Getting all the gear together i again started the long walk down river and eventually arriving at a sensible location to view the Common Crane without causing any disturbance to the bird. I hung around for about an hour taking in all the beauty of my second Sussex Crane.
Common Crane just north of Piddinghoe