Shy Water Rail #6

A later start this morning after a long lie in for my husband. 
We went off to Foulshaw Moss which is only about 10 minutes away. In the summer it is one of my favourite reserves with lots of dragonflies, swallows and of course the Ospreys. But we have not really visited in winter so were unsure of what we would find. 
The feeders were well stocked and well frequented by all manner of tits and finches, tree sparrows and the odd woodpecker(in extras). After walking around the moss and seeing not very much we decided to take another few minutes at the feeding station before lunch, which turned into nearly an hour. We were just about to leave but heard the unmistakeable "pig-like" squeal of a water rail. We could see it in amongst the reeds behind the tree line, and then we saw another one as they were disturbed by a pheasant. But it would be some 45 minutes later that it finally broke the treeline to make a dash for the food underneath the feeders and then ran back again to safety. I managed a few frames and luckily a couple of them were in focus, despite the challenging light. I'm quite happy with this one. 

After a nice lunch at the Hazelmere Cafe we took a stroll along the promenade, but there was not much to see as the tide was way out.