A New Toy

For some reason I had low expectations for today, not sure why because it is getting on for mid April, but I just thought it was going to be duff.  I spent half an hour on the beach looking out to sea from 8:30 and didn't see anything of note at all, which wasn't a great start. We never seem to do well here in easterlies, annoyingly the Chesil side of the bay do very well in this wind direction.

Home for a quick coffee and then it was down to Black Hole Marsh for a quick pre-recorded interview with BBC Radio Devon. It was during the drizzle here that suddenly the day felt better...

My first Sedge Warbler of the year was singing strongly just inside the entrance gate, with a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs in the bushes above.  Overhead Swallows and a few Martins were streaming over NW, with two Ringed Plovers that circled over the marsh also my first of the year (it really has been a dreadful spring for wader passage so far).

A look along the Estuary then showed my first two Whimbrel of the year, but Seaton Marshes produced nothing new.  I was out again later with Bun which revealed the continued presence of our lingering Marsh Harrier and a smart White Wag beside Colyford WTW.

And now to the post title.  You will notice this has been a photo-free post, well that's because I've been videoing!  I've always wanted to own a camcorder, and Sean Foote (@PortlandNature) and his fantastic monthly vlogs (video-blogs) tipped me over the edge. So I purchased one of what he has, a Panasonic HC-V250. It's cheap but seems to do the job well, and boasts a superb 90x zoom.  I am not going to be vlogging, but I thought it would be good to film what I see as much as I can.  You cannot beat a good photo, but being a realist, unless I spend several thousand pounds on a long lens, I'm not going to take good photos and be able to compete with the pros. Not to mention that everyone takes photos now, absolutely everyone, so I thought it would be refreshing to go off in a slightly different direction.  Don't worry there will be some pics still, just expect (and hopefully enjoy!) some videos too.

To start the ball rolling, it just has to be our long staying rarity...

Yes I have got a lot to learn, but still, what a nice subject to start with.  I also managed a quick vid of today's White Wag...

Looking forward to the rest of the week now - hopefully it won't disappoint.