What, I can't use a dull title once in a while?
Today, having been Good and Productive the last two [or even 4] days, I decided to make the most of what I'd been handed and have some fun. If life gives you lemons - make a proper GnT [[I know, I'm so old saying that - the correct answer is of course Tequila Slammers!]]
Getting back to the point, I went for a wander around the Exe, looking for the Brents and the Red-breast [or Red-breasts, if you believe certain sources] to see if I could see this bit of bling, and more importantly, because Brents are great and Red-breasts are quite decorative, be they real or fake. As seems to be the fashion this winter I was neatly avoided by all but 4 of the little Branta buggers [though there were plenty of bigger Branta buggers around..]. I did also want to have a look at the porn star of a SnowBunt at Turf, and the huge flock of Bramblings nearby, plus whatever the cold snap had thrown our way.
Starting at Darts Farm, there were 470+ Lapwing, mostly huddled in one field looking quite miserable, and at least 300 assorted ducks [mostly Teal and Wigeon] by the Clyst, but no Brent flock and no Cattle Egret either [if it's got any sense it'll be halfway to Africa by now!]. On to Topsham, where Bowling Green was almost entirely frozen - a few ducks in the one clear bit were flushed by cause unknown - though a Snipe was tarting about in plain sight maybe 20' from the lane, much to my joy. Almost as joyfully received was the sight of a Roe Deer feeding in the open in the next field down from the 'Green' - albeit a typically brief one, as it soon ducked back into a hedge.
At the Clyst platform I was distracted from the few waders about by 3 small Branta flying upriver - one markedly smaller; two dark-bellied Brents and a Red-breast! With bin views into the light I can honestly say I did not see a ring... ;) The gits were probably heading to Darts, but I wasn't going to play les buggeres risibles with them, and instead headed to the Goatwalk, where there were lots of birds to look at!
Sitting on a bench in the sun I was treated to much of what the Exe has to offer winter visitors, including very close Blackwits, Avocets, low-flying R-B Mergansers, and a lot of rather vexed-looking ducks [mostly Teal, but with a few Wigeon and Shovelers] on the mud... I could also see lots of waders around the Turf bend, and several people pointing great big lenses at the ground - Snow Bunting must be showing! After counting 37 Avocet in sight [[this is funny - you'll see why later]] I decided that I might as well wander over - nice place to have lunch, after all O:)
Exminster was crawling with birds! A thousand Wigeon? Easily. Here were Shoveler in the Little Crake's drainage ditch - I've never got to within 30' of one before; nice if daftly-billed. Lapwing and Snipe knocking around too, Blackwits, Curlew.. Quite a few Tufties [and rather depressed-looking Cormorants] on the little bit of ice-free water on the lagoon, all the Coots had bailed out and were grazing - slightly odd sight, that. Redwing and Fieldfare [plus lots of Blackbirds and the odd Song and Mistle Thrush] were in every hedge [[Also at the other places I'd been to]], Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks well in evidence, and a couple of Cetti's made sure I knew they were still going.
Getting to Turf, I found half a dozen admiring the SnowBunt as it busily ignored them, pulling down grass stems to munch the seeds and generally show cripplingly. A Kingfisher made a brief appearance, and then a Peregrine flew by with an ex- Snipe. It were dead good, pet.
I sat myself down on the platform and spent a very enjoyable lunch watching the Dunlin. They came very close, and though joined by singles of Grey Plover, Redshank, Blackwit, and Sanderling, were the undoubted stars - lovely little birds. Dunlin, Dunlin, Dunlin - "It's only a Dunlin" "It looks like a funny Dunlin" "It's another Dunlin" - "The standard small wader"; knowledge of whose plumages is a basic part of birding. I suppose they are pretty basic - there's waders bigger, smaller, faster, slower, brighter, duller; they're ordinary in all things, perhaps? I think they're more the archetype, though. If you were to describe what makes a wader, you'd most likely end up with a Dunlin, wouldn't you? Anyway, the Big Scope at short range shows up every last detail, and I spent quite a while looking at age, moult stage and so on. It was fun. I also did some counting; 3 Goldeneye on the Exe and 347 Avocet in sight. Nothing like taking a look from the opposite direction..!
Time moved on, and after a look towards Powderham [no Brents there] another session with the Snow also included a 2 Kingfisher flypast [ :D ]. Heading back I saw a single Brent with a few Greylags [looking like the usual ferals] attached to one of the dozen or more groups of Canadas knocking about the marsh. Deciding against driving down to Starcross, I went on and had a look for Brambling, but amidst the hordes of Linnet and Chaffinch only found one! [Terrible, I know...] A smart male Yellowhammer was some consolation, though. I finally moved on to another site, which had better remain nameless as there were Woodlark present. There was also, with the sun westering fast, ice forming on the road, despite it being well above freezing [not amusing] so I skedaddled.
Twas a very enjoyable day indeed - glorious weather, and while the wind was very cold it was also very gentle. The ice show on the edge of the Exe is indeed very impressive; go see it before it melts! [[Having said that, it's been raining here for 2 hours now, so it might well be on the way to going already...]] Also, you don't see icebergs in Devon all that often, especially not floating upriver on the tide making the Goldeneye swim around them. :) Silver linings and all that.
