Getting Very Soggy While Actually Seeing Some Birds.

There are certain inevitabilities.

One of which is Devon yearlisters finding their way - with quiet shame or brazen boldness - to Saltram. For this is where, upon a teeny tiny duckpond right by the gift shop [and I am not in any way kidding], may be found the county's only Red-crested Pochard.

Sometimes.

Sometimes she's out at Portworthy mica dam, looking at least a little respectable.

Also they have there flying toy trumpets and other things besides. It's worth the trip. Even to Plimoth.

Ahem.

I got very rained-on, mostly while looking for a reported Quantum Bird [I did not, of course, find it, despite a very nice local telling me exactly where it sometimes is*], but I got most of what I wanted and now you're going to get something scary;

Mandarin in the rain.

Red-crested Pochard in the rain.

 

Ring-necked Parakeet not in the rain.

There were also nice waders and river birds - 7 Greenshank and 6 Goosander notable - but I'm not inflicting photos of them on you. Better birds make worse photos. This is known.

 

 

Tiring of being rained on, I headed back east, with vengeance on my mind. In this case, revenge was served in something approximating sunshine, as the weather giggled and cleared as I approached Slapton. I wasn't looking gift horses anywhere at all, and enjoyed actually sitting in the open [albeit cowering out of the icy blast of a 'west' wind] to finally have some lunch while scanning the sea. Didn't need to do any Bunting Hunting as after only a few minutes of searching, I'd caught up with my target;

Snow Bunting on the beach.

A nice grebe or the other would have really put icing on the cake, so naturally I didn't find either. Nor a nice Bittern as I departed homewards, but hey you can't have everything.

Then it was time to see about another, most definitely scwewy duck....

Be Seeing You...

[[* Though of course not its velocity]]