Last year I had to wait for an October break in Plymouth to see a Shag: this year it made the list before Grey Heron! A 1W juvenile had been present for two or three days, so I took the chance to drive the five miles to the Country Park (James' & Justin's territory!) to catch up with it.
The Shag was almost the first non-duck I came across (following Little Egret) I grabbed a quick shot, then - while I was pointing it out to some interested dog-walkers - it disappeared! I decided to walk around the whole lake to see if I could refind it, picking up four Goldeneye and a solitary drake Pochard on the way. Very little of interest, tbh: Little Grebe was new for the year, but hardly any passerines in the alder scrub.
As I was approaching the end of the circuit, I glanced across to see that the Shag was now preening itself on a pontoon, more or less where I'd first seen it! I scuttled round for some better-quality shots, adding Buzzard, Barnacle Goose and Mandarin on the way.
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