Looking For Migrants - Off Patch

A world outside the Patch? It does indeed exist, contrary to the stories about falling off the edge if you pass Great Hill, and there is in fact quite a lot of it.

Daftness aside [or at least reduced], over the long* weekend I went off birding, looking to find some nice migrants and defying all the wetness about the place.


Well, trying to defy the wetness, as my lack of welly ownership [though perhaps waders would have been more appropriate] did not help when trying to traverse the lane at Exminster..

I dislike driving through flood water at the best of times, especially around bends, especially on waters I know are tidal at low tide, so no going back for the car. Plus the car parks were pretty full. Because other people don't worry about these things. Hm.

Along the lane, two obvious targets stood out. You have seen - probably these two - here before, though at slightly greater range. Here they are at 'point blank for geese', as I can be quite sneaky at times;

Snow Geese

Well, they're prettier than Canadas at least. And easier on the ears.

SnoG 1

SnoG 2

For those not au fait with geese, the differences from the white Farm Goose feral Greylag things you see include the size and shape [quite dinky], black primaries, and the grinning patch on the bill sides [which makes them look like they escaped from a Wallace and Gromit animation!]

Sand Martins were also about, but really not co-operating with my attempts to get pics.

Anyways, having looked along the lane and as far along the back path as the quagmire along there would allow..  I tried Powderham Marsh instead. It was muddy rather than super floody, and I got through with nothing more than a thigh-down redecoration.

Empty fields?

 

Not at all

Does this need an amusing comment?

Hopes for LRPs were dashed, as while there were plovers knocking about, they were ALL Ringed. None easy to see, but eventually one posed where the camera could pick it out. Sort of.

Striking a pose

Also a couple of Green Sandpiper, and the shots I got of them were so awful even I won't inflict them. Instead, here's a Canada Goose.

Cold and wet and far more enjoyable than you'd expect from that.

Stopped by Bowling Green

Being in the area, and wondering if the Spoonbill I was idly looking for might have gone over there [turns out Dorset would have been a better bet...]

Closest I could get

It was still too low a tide for all the waders, but I got a couple of photos worth sticking up - the first Swallows of the year were too fast, alas - so here you go

Tufted Ducks on land -

a rare sight

"Meep meep!"

Yup, that's it.

Be Seeing You..



[[*I would say 'properly-sized', myself]]