Great White Egret

 I started the day off with a look at Goosemoor in Topsham but all it got me was 4 Reed Bunting .              I then had at look at the Exe Estuary where I saw 6 Dark Bellied Brent Geese , 2 male Red-Breasted Merganser and 2 Common Gull .

The last stop was at Bowling Green Marsh where I picked up a Great White Egret flying into the marsh it is a bird that is becoming less rare now but it is only my 2nd one that I have seen on the marsh this year .

Also seen were numerous Pied Avocet , a Spotted Redshank , a Common Kingfisher and a Firecrest .

Great White Egret ( Ardea albus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Devon

 

European Otter

Today the weather was really bad with heavy rain and very high winds on Bowling Green Marsh but it produced my first European Otter on the marsh for about 4 years . It only gave views for a short while before vanishing up a channel beside the railway line .

There was not a lot else to talk about but a male and female Gadwall were nice to see along with 400 + Pied Avocet , 3 Common Gull , a Common Kingfisher and 2 Common Raven .

European Otter ( Lutra lutra ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Gadwall ( Anas strepera ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Lesser Crested Tern

 This morning I went down to Exmouth and got on the Stuart Line River Cruise with a few other birders in hope of getting better views of yesterdays Lesser Crested Tern .

We left Exmouth and cruised up the river but had no luck . But luck changed on the return trip as the bird showed very well sat on a buoy , allowing me to get these shots of it so I was well pleased .

Lesser Crested Tern ( Sterna bengalensis ) . The Exe Estuary . Devon