Leicestershire Hoopoe!!

Having now got back on my feet again, the Duchess and I decided to go to Dartmouth for a few days to visit relatives (from the Thursday till the Sunday).  I always keep my eye on the news reports whenever we're away in the UK, and on arriving in Devon, I checked the news service; low and behold, a Hoopoe had been reported in Leicestershire, on a housing estate in Loughborough which is about 10 miles north of my home! How's  your luck? There was nothing I could do about it until we went home again on the Sunday, so I put it out of my mind and settled into enjoying our few days in beautiful Devon.
On our departure from Devon, I checked the news again;The Hoopoe was still there, so after an uneventful 3.5hr drive, I  dropped Sue off at home and headed off to Loughborough. When I got there, there was  quite a few birders present, but from their body language, I knew the bird was not showing.  I asked when it was last been seen, and I was told it had been 15 minutes previously, in its' favourite garden, so it was just going to be a 'watch and wait'.  20 minutes later, and it appeared on a garden wall for a couple of minutes, then flew quite purposely away. Well, at least I had a County tick!  I had just decided to go back to the car and head home, when my good mate Pete Asher called me to say he was on his way,  so I decided to stay and see him. While waiting for Pete, another good friend, Richard Peglar turned up. We were chatting away when Pete arrived, and we all stood talking opposite the garden where the bird had been frequenting, hoping for its return. We had been standing there for about 20 minutes or so, when a lady approached to ask if were looking for 'the bird'?  We replied that we were, and her next words were music to our ears! - the Hoopoe was in her back garden and we were welcome to go and see it. All I can say is a very big 'thank-you' to the lady at 'Number 8', who invited a dozen birders into her house to view this stunning bird feeding on her lawn from her lounge and dining room! and to the birders who were all very well behaved.
Below are a few images of the Hoopoe

My next jaunt is to our yearly pilgrimage to Shetland - unless anything turns up in the meantime, of course!  As always, thanks for stopping by to - hope you enjoyed it!