Another Post Involving An Ouzel

This one I did see as it flew over us while we were having lunch at Fernworthy on Sunday! It was heading southwest and was probably en route to be one of the ones which have been knocking around Soar this week. Two migrating Ouzels in as many days - not bad. :)

To rewind a little; it being very soggy, the Folks decided that staying off [or rather out of] the mud was the best idea but didn't want to wimp out completely. And Fernworthy is nice at any time of year.

There weren't Crossbills. Ok, there were a couple that flew over calling, but none to be seen - the sheer absence of cones may have something to do with this? No Redpoll either and a single Siskin only...

We had a good meander about the ways, though, and Tillbury Pog had her usual great time. She was especially excited as it seemed that all the Red Deer in Devon were on site and only just ahead of us. I've never seen so many.. er, signs. Aside from one from the car near Lustleigh, though, we didn't see any. Tilly did decide a pile of logs was a deer at one point [we'd already been past it earlier, but that never matters], at least until she got to about 20' from it, whereupon she suddenly pretended to have no interest in it at all. Mad dog....

As well as our lunchtime treat, we also were flown over by a Dipper! This was up one of the streams that feeds the reservoir, in a lovely spot that screams "Some amazing bird is here!" but never produces anything. Well, a Dipper isn't quite a Kingbird, but it's not bad - would be a site tick if I kept that many lists. Also not bad was a Common Hawker - October dragons! :)



And lastly... I've been noting with interest all this passage going on. On Sunday we saw exactly two Swallows. On the Patch there have been no movements of Jays - at least so far as I can tell, they're pretty common here - and only the odd passing hirundine. Odd...