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Tuesday 9 November 2010

I'm Going For The Hat-trick!

This is going to be a brief one, as I want to get up early...

I was scouting around the patch looking for the Grey Phal I had seen fly back and forth over the bay, before gaining height and flying up river at 14:15...

Black Hole Marsh showed pretty much absolutely nothing at all! But my second look of the day over the (semi-permanent) flood opposite Axmouth Football Club was just a little more rewarding!

I had heard that the Weymouth Long-billed Dowitcher had flown off the previous evening, but I REALLY didn't expect it to be anywhere around here! It bloody was!!!!

I was scoping along the waters edge right to left, and came across this Snipe-like wader probing its bill in and out of the grass - FECKING HECK!!!!! My phone kicked in to action and I'm pleased to report most of the locals managed to see it before dark (and Dave H from Chard, who made it down from Taunton in record time!).

It was very dull and gloomy, so really wasn't good for photography. These are my best efforts...

Call and tertial pattern safely eliminated Short-billed, which would have been even better!

It was still present at dusk, and am looking for it early in the morning, hope it sticks.

Other birds in this field today included: 110 Lapwing, 40 Curlew, 22 Teal, 15 Dunlin, two Snipe, one Blackwit and too many Starling! I knew this field would deliver eventually, persistence pays....

The only other sightings I have for today (I was busy up until half 11 - no, not sleeping!) were four Teal and a Common Scoter on the sea off Seaton, four Shoveler and a Green Sand on Colyford Common and an adult Med Gull on the Estuary.

Night all.... :-)

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