No County For Old Birders. Pt.2, Cold, Wet, Not Miserable b) Defying The Rain

Having the first week of the year off work gave me the chance to hit a few sites sharpish. This I attempted, where possible.

Having the forecast for said week being RAIN! with a side order of RAAAAIIIIIN!!!! was proving less helpful, but like the title says..

The day after Slapton - following some hurried boot-drying, I can tell you - I headed North. An itinery with only one likely-to-be-vexed-by-rain species helped my hopes, but it wasn't going to be easy.

Especially starting off by being done over by my [BLEEP]ing satnav again into heading over what were basically linear pothole collections with a few patches of tarmac set on them....

But my li'l car survived and I got to Tamar Lake, where these 5 were, of course, riiiight over the far side.

Five little ducks,

all Lesser Scaup

A few other yearticks presented themselves, [told you I wasn't worried about Goosander. There were 13!] and after only a brief stop for a cuppa, I fled ahead of the rain...

Have a nice Marsh Tit, 

having a nice sunflower seed,

while I had a nice cuppa.

Fremington Quay seemed nice and dry, but no sooner had I thought 'Hey, no rain', than..  Yeah, you guessed it.

The rain had caught up and stayed with me - a constant, faithful companion - for the rest of the day. Never as hard as that which afflicted the southern part of the county, but nicely persistent and good and cold.

Anyways, back to the mission and all that;

Fremington Pill

Spot the Isbis*.

Any of them.

No, wait, you can't.....

Right. Longshanks, git yer pony.

Down the far end of said Pill;

Count the Cattle Egrets

Isbis? Nobis.*

Time for a workout.

Yelland isn't that far from Fremington Quay. In the rain. Via a small and not-that-sea-of-muddy-really look at the Saltpill Pond.

Always keep your eyes open, folks. Those boring wet fields may have anything in them.

Like this;

I got the Isbis*,

but I hadn't got the Spoonbill [yet]

That changed, too.

Let's cut a long, wet walk out for you.

Yelland Pond

[well, half of it]

Spot the Green-winged Teal.

Oh.

River?

Very scenic

Grey Plover

grey mud

grey rain

[ok, maybe not that]

Teal?

Er... Nope.

I'll cut a lot more work out, shall I? The tide went out a way. Then a way more.

I did not give up. I may have muttered a few choice phrases, but I did not give up.

Oh, look.

Green-winged Teal.

On my way back, many Linnet and a couple of Cetti's. The former more visible than the latter [though if my camera had behaved...] 

Nothing with them, though...

I got cold, wet, and rather footsore, but in no way miserable.

:D

Be Seeing You...

[[* Yes, yes it's Glossy Ibis, blah blah blah....]]