Full Of Eastern Promise

Just like the old turkish delight ad said...


Yep, so I wandered my way waaaaay up north to the Taw on Saturday, in search of Things from the East.

Only really looking at getting the Dalmatian Pelican, as terns [and Caspians in particular] are horribly mobile..


It was one of those nice twitches, though, where you just rock up and score. Arriving at Fremington Quay, I found a group of lads up from Hampshire who had not only a scope on the pelican, but also one on the tern, which was sat on a sand bank!!

Right out there;

It's by the Oyks..

Fortunately, it was better through a scope, and also had a fly about [including doing an amazing Skimmer impression when it took a drink]. Even better, late on it came back and plonked down much closer;

Ok still not that close..

The Dalmatian Pelican also gave two showings;

But the Glossy Ibis was a one-timer;

Before clearing out;

Other waders showed cripplingly from the Quay;

Barwit

Curlew

But it wasn't just about them. I took an afternoon wander down the Tarka trail

to Home Farm Marsh,

where there was no ibis, but nice sightings anyway;

Mmmh, ripply....

[Thanks to egret for scale]

 

It was a good day, and also an unexpectedly warm one, so of course it was only right and proper that I assisted the local economy [in the form of the caaaaake shop cafe..]

Nice view

[the Taw ain't bad, either] 

 

A selection of others; 17+ Pintail on the Taw, with ~300 Wigeon also present. A lone Shoveler on HFM scrape. A frankly ridiculous number of Redshank along Fremington Pill, all irrationally confiding for Redshank [or any wader], plus Greenshank, Green and Common Sand [I missed the Spotshank].


Cracking location, cracking birds, cracking day.


It ended like this;

Be Seeing You..