If At First You Don't Succeed..

...Try Try Again.

Third attempt at Black-winged Stilt in Devon yesterday. Again sogginess was involved, though this time from above, as the heavy showers weren't kidding around.

Other differences from the last two attempts were that the bird in question was on Powderham Marsh and more importantly, actually was there! :D Very nice female, plus a selection of adorable baby Lapwings to coo over [Awww..] Even got to sit down at the lovely viewpoint thing and watch a Hobby or two bombing around as well. After it had had enough of raining, the sun then came out and a fair few odonata were on the wing - lots of Hairy Hawker about, but no Scarce Chasers that I could find.

Less good were the Red Kites which were tarting about at Exminster just before I arrived, at the Patch just after I left, and at Mamhead just after I decided not to drop by on the way home.... Drat. Also not so good was the couple who brought their dog onto Powderham Marsh. We met as I was leaving and upon being asked if they knew dogs weren't allowed [I was very nice, really] they pled ignorance of any sign. I checked on exit - the explicit 'No Dogs Allowed' was not copied onto the new style shiny RSPB sign, but there's still a clear 'Dog With Red Line Through', albeit inside the entrance. They, to be fair, did turn around and leave after me and had had said dog on a lead. Oh well, what can you do?

Back on patch, the Sparrows next door have their second brood cheeping - two juveniles of someone's first brood were knocking about the Garden, one falling off the fence while the other watched  :) Only seen those two [plus a Blackbird], though. I suppose they're all the cats have missed :(  I've just counted up and I reckon there's at least 7 cats living within a stone's throw of the Garden. Seven. If songbird bloody survival really meant what they claim to, they'd do something about the cats instead of trying to give raptor persecutors a legal get out of jail [ha ha] free card.

Ahem. Finally, yesterday evening in decent conditions I counted at least 70 Swifts on the wing - the most I've had in Spring by a fair whack. Assuming they were all ours, that's some good news at least.