Eekwend Oundrup

Three[ish] days, one post.

There would have been more, but indecision, apathy, and especially my pesky head got in the way.

Getting on with it;

Sunday Sarnies

Saturday Stock Doves..

.. and Spider!

[Tetragnatha montana]

News of a Short-eared Owl at Exminster had me dragging myself out and over there despite my head's complaints. No sign of any owls, of course, but those 6 Stock Dove were nice, and a few waders and wildfowl were still knocking about. Also hirundines, with 11+ Swallow, 6+ Sand and at least one House Martin chopping about in the teeth of the 'fresh' wind. I rather suspect any SEO present was hiding behind the largest solidest piece of scenery it could find. A passing Marshie failed to put it up, though did show nicely

La Marsh Harrier

It was disappointing to see that exeter council have removed all the gates on the canal tow path, allowing cyclists [and, say motorbikes...] to zoom along freely [as one did, only just missing me]. Their replacement to enforce the law and protect the public? Single posts with little 'No Cycling' signs on them, carefully placed to the side of the path to allow free movement.

Compare to their attitude to drivers of enclosed motor vehicles [closed roads, raised parking charges, removed parking areas, concrete barrriers, cameras...]

Ahem.

Forcing  myself out for a Patch Patrol on Sunday, I was detoured by gen from The Teacher who was seeing skuas at the Nose.

I wandered over and, while I didn't get any skuas, I did see a few Sarnies and GNDs

16 Sarnies south, a single GND south with at least 5 on the sea [samples of both above], a diver sp. [probably another GND] north, and a steady trickle of Gannets, Kittiwakes, and the odd Fulmar. A few Manxies were mostly waaay out; I got on 3 south and 1 north.

More interestingly, before joining the Teacher at the TSWS, I was fortunate enough to see a Black Redstart being flushed from the Sole cliffs by a cockapoo [loose dog, in other words]. Woo! None seen at the Nose for a fair while, so this is presumably a migrant from parts further west stopping off en route to the continent. [Well, that or the wintering population got VERY sneaky, or moved somewhere we don't or can't check? Hmm.]

Also on Patch,

Rockit demonstrates posing

Seven Spot Ladybird

Yellow Archangel,

with red ant sp.,

and Black-horned Gem?

On the plus side, I did a little baking, which went down very well with the family. And I did get out and have hoovered up a few more yearticks - one a nice sticky one - so, well, we persevere.

[Don't talk to me about frickin' Hoopoes, though.......]

Ahem.

Be Seeing You...