Still no Dippers

Todays photo is of one of our most common birds the Blackbird this is a photo of an adult male and a really smart looking bird with its bright yellow bill & eye ring ! it was taken at the Ludwell Valley Country Park in Exeter , I had gone there to see if any Dippers had returned to the stream after the rough weather but there was still none to be seen , and all I did see was a flock of Long-Tailed Tit & a single Redwing & on the walk back there was a Common Kingfisher in the Northbrook Golf Course .

Common Blackbird ( Turdus merula ) . The Ludwell Valley Country Park . Exeter . Devon

Little Gull Again

Not a lot seen today as I went over to the Exminster Marshes to see if I could get some more shots of yesterdays Little Gull`s , but on arrival there wasn`t a gull to be seen anywhere but after around half an hour some Black-Headed Gull`s started to drop in & I found a single adult Little Gull in with them on the first pool to the left by the middle car park , these are really delightful birds and always give me a buzz when I see them !! and even better when you can get nice shots of them .

Little Gull ( Hydrocoloeus minutus ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

Little Gull

I went over to the Exminster Marshes this morning to look for the Black-Necked Grebe that was reported yesterday & I came across three Little Gull`s on the first pools 2 Adult birds and a Juvenile so I stopped and had a look at them before heading off down the marsh to the reservoir where the Black-Necked Grebe showed well but distant but still my first for the year , I then went back to the Gull`s and tried to get some shots of them but didn`t have a lot of luck today and just ended up with these three shots , the first 2 are of the Juvenile bird & the other is an Adult , I was just leaving the marsh when a male Merlin flew across the road right in front of me ... another first for the year so in the end not a bad day .

Little Gull ( Hydrocoloeus minutus ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

Green Sandpiper

An hour spent at the Double Locks Wetlands this afternoon got me the bird that I went for , Green Sandpiper and I saw four of them ! but there wasn`t a lot else to see with only a Little Egret and a Grey Heron , I then drove back to Topsham and had a look at the Recreation Ground where the small reedbed has been really hit bad in the rough weather that we have had , I didn`t see any birds but I heard the Yellow-Browed Warbler twice on call in the first stretch of gardens .

Spring is on the way !!

As it was a nice morning I decided to make the most of it & I had a look around the woods near to Haldon Forest this morning and saw 20+ Crossbill , 6 Raven , 4 Stock Dove , 3 Buzzard , 2 Siskin and a Great Spotted Woodpecker also seen was this Frogspawn a good sign that spring is not far off now !!

Frogspawn . Nr Haldon . Devon

Red-Flanked Bluetail

Today four of made a trip up to Marshfield in Gloucestershire to have a look at and hopefully photograph the 1st winter male Red-Flanked Bluetail that has been seen there for a while now and our luck was in as this delightful little bird performed for us for most of the day , this is the 3rd one that I have seen in Britain but only the first that I have been able to photograph !
So a great day was had with great company !! & a bonus was that the rain held off all day .

Red-Flanked Bluetail ( Tarsiger cyanurus ) . Marshfield . Gloucestershire

Bar-Tailed Gowit

This morning I had a look at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham & saw numerous Black-Tailed Godwit and in with them were around 20+ Bar-Tailed Godwit , also seen were 30+ Avocet & 2 Raven flew over the marsh ( While I was in the hide someone said that they had seen a large egret with a yellow bill on the marsh before I got there so I had a good look around but couldn't see any egrets at all ) , I then went up to woods near Haldon and saw 20+ Crossbill , 10 Siskin , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Jay & 2 Red Admiral Butterflies .

Bar-Tailed Godwit ( Limosa lapponica ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham

Dipped again !!

This morning I did the walk along the Exe Estuary from Powderham Church up to the Turf Hotel to look for the Black-Necked Grebe that has been seen there but once again I dipped as there was no sign of it today , but on the walk I did see 6 Grey Plover , 3 Meadow Pipit & 2 Reed Bunting & up at the Turf Hotel there was 300+ Brent Geese , 30+ Dunlin & a few more Grey Plover .

Grey Plover ( Pluvialis squatarola ) . The Exe Extuary . Devon

Dunlin ( Calidris alpina ) . The Turf Hotel . Devon

Little Gull

I was lucky enough to get a message first thing this morning telling me that there was a Little Gull on the Exe Estuary just off of the Imperial car park , so I went down to see if I could get any shots of it but when I arrived there was no sign of it anywhere & I sat there in the car quite down with the rain hammering down outside , but after a while Matt Knott turned up and was scanning the birds further out in the estuary & he found it feeding with a lot of other gulls and to our amazement there was not only one bird but another adult bird was with it ! they then flew towards us but they carried on flying until they were lost from view !
I then had a look at the flock of Black-Headed Gull`s & I found a Great Crested Grebe in with them , I then started to walk back to the car and was amazed to find a Razorbill in very close to the car park & then the icing the cake ! one of the Little Gull`s had returned & was showing very well just off of the car park allowing me to get these shots of it ... Magic !

Thanks Matt

Little Gull ( Hydrocoloeus minutus ) . The Exe Estuary . Exmouth . Devon

Razorbill ( Alca torda ) . The Exe Estuary . Exmouth . Devon

GreatCrested Grebe ( Podiceps cristatus ) . The Exe Estuary . Exmouth . Devon

Haldon Forest Area

Hi today I went up to the Haldon Forest on the outskirts of Exeter and in between the rain showers I saw 8 Crossbill , 7 Raven , 6 Siskin , 5 Coal Tit & a Nuthatch that were around the feeders at the Haldon Center & also seen today was my first butterfly of the year a Red Admiral

Coal Tit ( Periparus ater ) . Haldon Forest . Devon

Bowling Green Marsh

A quick half hour look at Bowling Green Marsh in a howling gale this afternoon got me 6 Greylag Geese , numerous Wigeon , 20 + Shoveler , 2 male Pochard , a male Pintail , a male Tufted Duck , 7 Curlew that were feeding in front of the hide , a Mistle Thrush that was singing from near the railway line & around 400+ Brent Geese flew over the marsh .

Eurasian Curlew ( Numenius arquata ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

Greenshank

I went down the Exe Estuary this afternoon not for anything specific but just for a drive really as it was not raining for a change ! I first stopped at the Oak Meadow Golf Course where I found the  Black Brant in with around 300+ Brent Geese , I then had a look at the Exe Estuary from the Cockwood railway crossing but all that I could pick up was a dozen Red-Breasted Merganser , so I then started to head for home when I saw this very confiding Greenshank in Cockwood Harbour , it was a bit nervous at first so I just sat on the harbour wall and made myself as small as possible & waited for it to come to me and I just love the results that I got !!!

Common Greenshank ( Tringa nebularia ) . Cockwood Harbour . Devon

Avocet

This morning I decided to have a look at Goose Moor from the new boardwalk and I found some Avocet quite close to one of the viewing points and managed to get these shots of them , the best shots that I have ever got of these birds !
Later in the day I got a call telling me that there was a Kumlien`s Gull , a ssp of Iceland Gull ! on the sea front at Exmouth so I shot off down there to see if I could catch up with it but I had no luck at all , then I heard that there was a Glaucous Gull in the Exe Estuary so I went over for that but again I missed it ... What a shit lol .

Pied Avocet ( Recurvirostra avosetta ) . Goose Moor . Topsham . Devon

Where is that Ark ???

A trip to Bowling Green Marsh this morning found it under more water than I have seen in the twenty nine years that I have been birding here ... amazing
There was numerous wildfowl , with Wigeon , Teal , Shoveler , Pintail & Tufted Duck on show along with 7 Greylag Geese , and the waders consisted of 200+ Avocet , numerous Black & Bar-Tailed Godwits , 100+Dunlin , 50+Redshank , 1 Greenshank & 2 Grey Plover all seen before the heavens opened up again .

Greylag Goose ( Anser anser ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

On a wild and windy day !!

A look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning didn`t get me a lot with numerous Redshank , 300+ Avocet , 100+ Dunlin , quite a few Bar-Tailed Godwit in with less Black-Tailed Godwit , 12 Shelduck & a Little Grebe , later I went to a sight to look for Dipper but there was no sign of them , I didn`t expect to see any as the stream is quite high but it was worth a look , but I did see these superb looking Snowdrops one of our earliest wildflowers on show .

Common Redshank ( Tringa totanus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

Common Snowdrop ( Galanthus ) . The Riverside Country Park . Exeter . Devon

Black Brant

A look at the Exminster Marshes this morning only got me numerous Lapwing , 1 Little Egret & 2 Chiffchaff , my next stop was a look at the Exe Estuary from the Powderham Railway Crossing where I saw 3 Greenshank , a Turnstone & a Kingfisher , I then went for a look at Oak Meadow Golf Course in Starcross and saw 300 + Brent Geese & at last I found the Black Brant the American race of our Brent Goose in with them ! I have looked a few times for it but kept on missing it so I was very pleased today .

Black Brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans ) . Oak Meadow Golf Course . Starcross . Devon

Brent Goose ( Branta bernicla ) . Oak Meadow Golf Course . Starcross . Devon