Aythya Action

We have finally had settled snow here in Seaton and around the Axe Estuary - it was rather odd how it happened though!

Yesterday late afternoon/evening it was snowing almost constantly, but it wasn't settling and it really didn't look like it was going too.  At about 7ish Jess and I went up to her Mum and Dad's in Colyford, we were there about half an hour, and when we came out it was a complete white-out!  We slowly drove back home and were surprised to see everything white here too...

At last!

I spent the night dreaming about all the year ticks I was going to get in the morning with all this snow around, but when I woke up almost all the snow had gone!!!  A quick look around soon after dawn was disappointing, so I headed home and buried my head in my laptop.  I noticed it had started snowing again, so mid morning I headed out again.  And boy, did it snow...

Seaton Marshes

The Borrow Pit

Golden Plover over Seaton Marshes

Bridge Marsh

Thrushes and Lapwing on Axmouth football pitch

From the Farm Gate

And I just have to post this photo.  It was really quite odd. I didn't drive past it, but when I stepped out of my car at Lower Bruckland Ponds it was just there, walking down the road...

Took me be surprise!

It was snowing so heavily it was actually pretty much unbirdable, so I came back home...

Same view as the first photo - but a different dumping of snow!

Whilst at home it was good to see a few birds in the 'garden' today - it really must have been tough going because we had a whopping six species. And not just in the garden, but eating our food too! Here's three of them...

You wait, I'll get a Dark-eyed Junco one day :-)

I spent a few hours out early afternoon when it had stopped snowing, but I didn't see anything better than a Green Sandpiper on Black Hole Marsh and about 100 Golden Plover.  After returning home, I was only back long enough to pour out but not drink my tea, when a text from Gav had me scurrying down to the Estuary to get myself a year tick...

Three sleeping Tufties

Actually, calling this post 'Aythya Action' is a bit of a misnomer. They didn't do anything other than sleep whilst I was there!  But I don't care, three sleeping Tufted Ducks = patch year tick :-)