Double Dip

Just a quickie update on the last two days' fun and frolics...


I have mostly been dipping Black-winged Stilts and getting soggy.


Yesterday I went to Exminster on hearing of Stilts present and even waded through the flood to try to find them. After much squelching around with water-filled boots, I realised it was not going to happen. I did see a very nice Yellow Wagtail, added Reed and Sedge Warblers to the yearlist, saw shedloads of Whimbrel, including a hundred or so whistling around my ears when I was on the tow path :D, but didn't see any Swifts or Hobbies.


Today I tried Bowling Green and Exminster, before finally hearing the gits were in north Devon...


Before that, I was at the Nose*, where a couple of dark morph Arctic Skuas were mugging Kittiwakes, 6 Whimbrel and a Curlew went north, as did 8 Swift! [Yes!]. A lot of Guilles were messing around [I assume mostly heading to Berry Head from early morning's fishing]. [Devon Birder] arrived just before I left for my Wild Stilt Chase and promptly found a Bonxie, with a Sarnie passing too.


Bowling Green had 3+ Common Sand and 13 Greenshank [until flushed by a train?!?], plus a whole heap of hirundines. The highlight at Exminster was a report of an Iceland Gull [I didn't know at first it had been flushed - let me guess, the flusher wore a red and grey jacket?]. Not knowing it had flown I kept looking, eventually getting to the 800-odd gulls lurking up by the M5. Ding-ding-ding jackpot! :D Very nice it was too - my first of the year, would you believe?


Not a complete waste of time, by any means...  :)






[[*Seawatching [albeit briefly] in a NE, whatever next??]]