YeeeeHaaaaaa!!!!!

Correct! Filthily twitching another wandering Yankee....

It's been too long since I've been to Exminster. I discovered to my mild annoyance that among the work they're doing, they've tarmaced the causeway! This takes all the fun out - weaving through the potholes, keeping away from the edge in case it gives way and dumps you into some quite deep water, turning a bend to find the road's very flooded, meeting an idiot in a chelsea tractor who can't reverse and doesn't know their width.... Ok, maybe the tarmac's a vaguely good idea.

Aaaanyway. Got there a bit later than I intended; a fairly reputable 0815. Met Joe and Will on the road, who very helpfully told me not to bother with the causeway as it was all already full, so back to the Proper Carpark and then yomping out. A Water Rail by the roadside ditch was a nice [if brief] sight and some very close Blackwits were worthy of a quick stop to admire. I got to the Turf Locks and found the lads in a nicely muddy field to be told that "It's been seen, but not for a while". Well, could be worse. Eventually it did pop up - in the next field north - and after some truly awful directions were overcome, everybody connected with this cracking thrush. :D

I hung around until nearly midday, getting in three prolonged periods of viewing [which only got better, with it interspersing dropping down into a ditch for worms and a drink with sitting up in a Hawthorn, eating berries and generally posing like a tart!]. Plenty of other birds about to keep the attention / distract horribly, ranging from "That's a Redwing.."s to a flyover Snow Bunting which a guy near me got a scope on and said was a Lapland. I'm sure there's a moral about believing what you hear at twitches; probably one about the merits of trusting a scope over a dodgy bins view that could have gone either way [No, I didn't pick out the call, though apparently it was being naughty and sounding Lapland-y], certainly there'll be one about always standing next to [Famous Birder Who Knows His Buntings] ;)

In between the bouts of Robin-stroking [[Sorry, couldn't resist that one]] I had a look at the river [nice Kingfisher, and singles of Grey and Golden Plover - no not the AGP] and gave the pub some custom [strictly non-alcoholic, officer]. There are good numbers of winterers building up on the marshes - wildfowl and waders - and once the RSPB get around to a nice tower hide, it'll be a top notch destination. [Hint Hint]

Wandering back, keeping an eye out for this Saker that's been seen around, I'd gotten to the causeway when I noticed two birds up high to the north. 'A crow giving a raptor some stick?' Thought I. Got bins on and to my delight the raptor was none other than the Exminster SEO! More than that, it wasn't so much being mobbed as giving the crow a taste of it's own medicine! For the next 15 minutes [I kid ye not - it was amazing!!] the owl kept above the crow, not letting it get away, and repeatedly dropping on it with talons out. It wasn't seriously after the crow; it looked like it was playing with it, but I don't think the crow was having fun... :) Eventually the SEO let the crow go and came lower and closer and lower and closer, giving us a very nice flyby before heading off north at reed top height - it dropped at something but missed, flushed a couple of Snipe and a Gadwall, then disappeared. I was pretty much dancing on the spot I was so happy... :D

It was by then getting on for one o'clock and lunch was needed, so home I toddled. After some much-needed munching, I decided to bash my Patch like a Good Birder. A couple of hours of wandering bits I don't often go to in search of berry bushes [never hurts to know where to look, just in case... 0:) ] got me a few half decent spots, plus some nice Goldcrests. A few Starlings were mixing with Blackbirds and Chaffinches, but nothing fancy was forthcoming either with bands of LTTs, the Goldcrests, or on its ownsome. I did see the Fire Brigade playing with their Bronto [the big crane, if you don't know] - they found a nice sloping car park and had all of it's wheels off the ground.

It's been a good day. Oh yeah.