A Rest from the Spoonbills

After two days of solid Spoonbill chasing, we decided to take a rest from that and ventured down to RSPB Radipole Lake to see what was on offer. The day started promisingly with a pair of Great Crested Grebe doing a courtship dance near the concrete bridge. Looking into the sun, a silhouette shot really didn't do the spectacle justice, so we moved on to where we had been told there were Bearded Tits. There was nothing doing in that respect, but very soon we came upon a pair of Long Tailed Tits busily nest building and we started to look for THE shot. A dead tree in close proximity offered what we needed, but as ever the wildlife had other ideas.
So about 90 minutes later we were still there having photographed them in a variety of poses and light conditions as they came and went. Sometimes they would be gone for ten minutes, other times only for about thirty seconds as they gathered lichen and moss to build their new home. In that time THE shot was only offered twice and this was one of the results. They don't perch for long before they move off again, maybe only to another branch, but on other times to a distant tree.
The rest of the visit was something of an anti-climax. We heard reports of Marsh Harrier activity closer to the North hide than normal in the morning, but saw nothing and there had been a brief glimpse of the Kingfisher. So without further ado we decided to adjourn and found ourselves drawn back to RSPB Lodmoor. 
The closest shot of a single Spoonbill was on offer from the Western path, before it flew back to the distant location they seem to have favoured on this visit. We later learned that the other three had flown away from the reserve earlier in the afternoon.
And so to today, where we have found out that the Bearded Tits were back at Radipole late afternoon, well after we had left. Our friend Frank Gardiner has posted up some beautiful shots of them. I guess that's more unfinished business for us.