The Challenge

One of those titles again..

As I have gone on on about ad nauseum, I'm chasing a Devon Yearlist this year. Every area is different, but for Devon, you can generally expect to see about 220 species in a year of birding. That's wintering, summering, residents, and expected passers-by. Beyond that, you're going to have to start making the real effort, hunting unusual birds and, yes, filthily twitching other peoples' finds. [Seawatching should be taken as read ;p ]

So it was that I swung by another part of the Patch on Saturday morning, bright and before sunrise, to pick up The Teacher and No.1 Son before heading to Exmouth in search of one of the less expected yearticks..

And another challenge immediately arrived, as it had rained a bit overnight. Said rain had hit all that cold ground [on account of all the cold weather the last couple of weeks]. Cue black ice. Cue many many accidents [no injuries I know of, thankfully]. Cue many road closures....

After a long and winding road, we arrived to find a rather nippy Phael Park and... Where's the bird? Or anybirder else?

Oh, there they are, and 'It was here 5 minutes ago...'

[Where have I heard that before?]

But a little largely green bird creeping through leaf litter Mousey-style in a park with many large trees is... Interesting to find.

Spot the birdie;

Olive-backed Pipit

Spots

[If you know...]

A few admirers

Also a nice Lucombe Oak [TurkeyxCork fertile hybrid and something of an E Devon specialty]

Back to the Star.

Blends in nicely,

doesn't it?

Easy once you get your 

eye in, right?

Yup, very easy.

:)

Locked on to the next

teeny wasp....

Cheered by our success, and not suffering too much hypothermia, we stopped off at Cockwood Crossing on the way home to see if the reported Goldeneye was feeling helpful.

 

Tide's up, then

Spot the Goldeneye? Good luck, we couldn't!

Waders including Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwits were in the distance. Closer-to, 5 GC Grebes, 2 RB Mergansers, but little nearby due to the efforts of these two, who paddled over from Exmouth and made sure to flush absolutely every bird they could see...

Going after the Teal

This is why we need a trained Saltwater Crocodile* at the Warren. [Likewise, a trained White Shark at the Nose :) ** ]  'Wildlife Area. Do Not Enter.' is all very well [if they actually used signs] but 'Trespassers Will Be Eaten' works a lot better than 'Trespassers Will Have Absolutely No Action Taken Against Them, Do What You Want'

You know I'm right.

Be Seeing You...

[[* With a woolly jumper, obv.s ]]

[[** Also, if Greenpeace would be so kind as to protect our coldwater coral reefs with those lovely boulders, we'd all be so grateful. Or just, again, the powers that be could actually enforce 'no dredging' zones..??   No?    Really?? ]]