Yesterday evening a Spotted Crake was found on the Exminster Marshes . So I shot off over and I managed to see the bird just before the light was gone .
So this morning I went over again to try and get a shot of it . But the bird was always very distant and this was the best that I could get with my set up....Still better than nothing .
Also seen was a European Spoonbill , 2 Western Marsh Harrier , 2 Cetti`s Warbler , 7 Common Sand Martin and 2 Barn Swallow
I went to a site in East Devon this morning and had quite a good time as I managed to see the following birds . A male Ring-Necked Duck that I suspect is the returning bird that was here earlier in the year , 2 Little Ringed Plover , a Common Snipe , a Yellow Wagtail that dropped in but was then gone again in a flash , 3 Meadow Pipit , 2 Common Stonechat , and a Common Raven .
I got news today of a White-Tailed Eagle seen over the Exe Estuary at Exmouth . So I shot off down to the viewing platform at Bowling Green Marsh that looks out over the Estuary , and my luck was in as I saw the bird just before it flew across the Estuary and out of view .
The bird is one of the reintroduced birds from the Isle of White but I still got a huge buzz when I saw it and I have been lucky enough to have seen these birds before in Norfolk and Hampshire but it was way back now .
A quick morning look at Bowling Green Marsh got me a male Common Pochard , 20+ Pied Avocet and a Spotted Redshank .
My next stop was at Mudbank Lane in Exmouth where you can look out onto the Exe Estuary . And I was soon looking at the bird that I had come for , a splendid looking male Garganey that was showing very well with a Eurasian Wigeon . Also showing were around a dozen Common Gull .
I then had a look around the top fields at Gore Lane but it was dead and the best I saw was a Grey Wagtail and a few Common Skylark .
This morning there was a mad dash down to Dawlish Warren as news came out of a very rare bird in this part of the world a 1st winter Caspian Gull that was showing on finger point . After parking the car there was then the long walk out to the end of the warren in hope that it would still be there . But to my joy it was still on show but sadly it was quite distant as you can see from my shot of it .
On the way home I stopped off for a look at the Exminster Marshes and saw my first Garganey of the year a nice male bird & a female Western Marsh Harrier .
A morning walk on the Exminster Marshes to Turf Locks this morning turned out to be rather fine as I saw my first Red Kite of the year as it drifted through the marsh towards Exminster Village .
Also seen this morning was a European Spoonbill , a female Western Marsh Harrier , a Water Rail ,4 Common Chiffchaff and 2 female Brimstone Butterfly
A quick look at Bowling Green Marsh today did not get me much at all . But this nice Ruff was showing well just to the left of the hide .
Also logged today were numerous Eurasian Wigeon , Northern Pintail & Black-Tailed Godwit . A Common Raven , Water Rail and a Cetti`s Warbler .
There was news this morning saying that Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was showing well at Yarner Wood . So I decided to go out and see if I could catch up with it . At first there was no sign of any at all but then I met up with Paul Bray the birder that put the news out earlier , and we went to the spot where he had seen it and we managed to see male and female birds and we were lucky and got this female bird sat out in the open for a short while .
I also managed to see 20+ Eurasian Siskin , a single Lesser Redpoll , 2 Eurasian Nuthatch and a Eurasian Bullfinch .
