This morning I took a look around the Ludwell Valley area of Exeter . And after a bit of a search I was lucky enough to see 2 White Throated Dipper , 2 Collared Dove , a Winter Wren and a Common Raven .
Further along by the Wonford Flood Relief Channel . I saw a Green Sandpiper , 2 Grey Wagtail and a Common Chiffchaff .
My day started off at a frozen and misty Bowling Green Marsh . There, I saw numerous Black-Tailed Godwit , 100+ Pied Avocet , 20+ Northern Lapwing , 6 Common Snipe and a Water Pipit a bird that I have not seen on the marsh for many a year .
I then went to an area near Cockwood and I saw 2 Cattle Egret . The day was was then finished off at Starcross with a couple of nice Firecrest .
Another look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me much of the same with numerous Northern Pintail and a few Tufted Duck being the best of the wildfowl . There was also a European Spoonbill , 20+ Northern Lapwing and 7 Common Snipe .
A walk down the lane to the viewing platform got me 8 Dunnock . a Song Thrush , a Eurasian Bullfinch and my first Common Stonechat of the year .
A look around Exmouth today did not turn out to bad as I saw the following birds . At the Mudbank Lane area there was a male and female Common Goldeneye , a male & 2 female Red-Breasted Merganser , 2 Common Gull , 2 Little Egret and 4 Ruddy Turnstone .
Then a look in Lyme Bay got me 2 European Shag and 3 Common Eider . And I then had a Rose-Ringed Parakeet in the Maer Valley before finishing the day off with a Common Sandpiper at Phear Park .
Not a lot to report today . But it was nice to get my 1st European Green Woodpecker of the year feeding on my lawn first thing .
I then did the walk around Topsham and in the Bowling Green Marsh area there was numerous Northern Pintail , a Ruff and a few Long-Tailed Tit . And near the Goatwalk that looks out at the Exe Estuary there was 9 Ruddy Turnstone .
My look at Bowling Green Marsh from the hide today didn`t turn up much at all with the main birds being two Eurasian Spoonbill . All the usual wildfowl was on show along with a few Gadwall and two female Common Pochard .
Also seen were over 200 Pied Avocet , a Spotted Redshank , a Ruff and our long staying Lesser Black-Backed Gull that goes by the name of Psycho , due to his habit of catching and eating the smaller waders .
A morning look at Bowling Green Marsh got me three new birds for the year . With Pied Avocet , Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Redwing .
There was plenty of other birds too see with 2 female Common Pochard , 5 Common Snipe , Ruff , Common Greenshank , Mistle Thrush and a small flock of European Greenfinch .
A trip out to Colyford Common for a Mega Bird today an Eastern Yellow Wagtail with my mate Andy Bond . We got there just as it started to rain with thunder and lightning so we sat in the car for a while hoping that the bird would turn up . And after a while we got the good news that the bird was showing . It took us a while to walk from the car park to the common and our hearts jumped for joy when we saw a crowd of people looking at the bird .
The bird was showing very well on the boardwalk along with the Isabelline Wheatear . This is only the 2nd time that I have seen these birds , with the first at Colyton Sewage Works in 2010 .
What a great start to the year with Isabelline Wheatear , Laughing Gull and Eastern Yellow Wagtail all seen in my home county of Devon .
A trip down to Beesands Ley in Devon today to look for a reported Laughing Gull that has been seen for the last few days, but after a bit of a wait there was no sign of it . But I did see a nice male Ring-Necked Duck and a Great Crested Grebe .
So we decided to head for home and we got quite a bit of a way when a message came over the phone that the Laughing Gull was in a small gull roost on Torcross beach . So we turned around and headed back there and was rewarded with my first Laughing Gull in Devon since 2007 .
A trip out with Sue this morning to have another look at the Isabelline Wheatear that is still showing well on Colyford Common in East Devon . We arrived to find quite a few birders there already and we soon got onto the bird .
We were there for a couple of hours and got great views , also seen was a Water Pipit and quite a few Rock Pipits & Meadow Pipits
It was pouring down with rain this morning so I went to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham and the first bird that I saw was a Eurasian Spoonbill .
I then had a good look at the marsh and saw all the normal birds for this time of year , But it was nice to see quite a few Gadwall , 2 female Pochard , numerous Northern Pintail and a smart looking Ruff .
This morning I had a quick walk around again and saw a Rose-Ringed Parakeet on the same apple tree as yesterday .
On the journey back home a Red Kite was over the M4 near Reading .
Happy New Year
I had to go up to Boreham Wood in Hertfordshire over the new year on family issues . So birding was on the back boiler but I did see a Rose-Ringed Parakeet .
Later on in the day we went to Flitwick in Bedfordshire to see if we could catch up with a very strange bird a male Lady Amherst`s Pheasant . We arrived to find a few birders already there and after a bit of a wait the bird came out into view and as you can see its a cracking looking bird .
This is only the second time that I have seen these birds with my 1st way back in 1987 at Ampthill that is very close to Flitwick .
