So Much for Snow!

Despite much of the UK getting a good dumping of the white stuff over the past few days, as usual for us down here in Seaton there's not been a sniff.  Not even sleety rain, just rain.  Not that I have minded this as it has been such a dry year so far.

Although no snow it has certainly been cold. An icy cold northerly wind has been blowing, with the grey skies adding to the chill factor.  So, as was the case when I wrote my last post, seeing summer migrants is not something I am thinking about right now, even though I have...

This afternoon two Sand Martins were flying and feeding high over the confluence of the Axe and Coly, and earlier today I had my second lookings at the lovely male Little Ringed Plover that has been on Black Hole Marsh since Tuesday (which is when I saw it for the first time).  Such a lovely little bird, the cold wind probably the reason why it is lingering with us...

Electric yellow eye-ring

Seen in the year before Common Ringed Plover which is unusual. My earliest ever LRP for the patch

A better view of those stripes

 

A lone Avocet was around at the start of the week, although I haven't seen it today so think it has probably moved on.  At least one Great White Egret is still around, but possibly two as I watched one flying east up Stedcome Valley yesterday morning not long before one was photographed fishing on a garden pond in Beer (a couple of miles west of where I was).

I am ofcourse keeping a close eye on the gulls at the moment as now is the time for a white-winger if we are going to get one at all.  There are really good numbers of Common Gulls passing through, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls are present daily often in double-figures, plus a handful of Med Gulls most days...

Mediterranean Gull looking dapper in full summer plumage

And to complete this post I will not be mentioning how I managed to miss Little Gull for the third time this year...