They're Back!

This post title could be relating to any number of things at this time of year... Wheatears? Sand Martins? Moths?.... but no! Much more exciting....

Exactly 34 days after I sent my beloved Swarovski EL 8.5X42 off for repair, they are back with me! Swarovski HQ (UK) had my loan pair back at 1pm yesterday, and this morning at 8am my pair were back where they belong, around my neck! And was it worth it???? OH YES! They fixed EVERYTHING, in fact, I'm sure they've given me a entirely different pair...

Just in time for spring too :-)

Haven't seen much through them though today, with the best being two Med Gulls on the estuary...

This was the closest they got to each other, the first-year bird kept chasing the older bird around!

Med Gulls sit much more horizontal than BHG's, this is a good way of finding them when looking at flocks with the sun behind them

And I've always wondered why first-year Meds show a darker mantle than BHG's; older Med Gulls have paler mantles than BHG's so it makes no sense! Can anyone explain this...

I have a day off tomorrow...and may have to visit a neighbouring county for a certain snazzy looking duck....

A Mundane Morning

The Axe Estuary Ringing Group had an outing this morning at Colyford Common, so that's where I was from 07:30.

It took us an hour and a half to set all the nets up. I then took a photo or two of the first bird we caught, this male Blackbird...

Who's going to have a stab at its age from this wing shot??

Then I had to go!! Walking back to the car the beautiful sunshine made many birds look very photogenic....sorry....

Hope to finally get this ones scarcer summer cousin on my patch list this year!

Hmmmm...lovely blue sky!!

This ivy was packed out with House Sparrows!

Apart from a quick whiz around the river valley during my lunch break, which turned out to be a pointless exercise, that was it for me today. I told you it was mundane...

Come ON Spring...

Beer Head wasn't very spring like at all this afternoon! Flipping cold it was, and the only hint of anything spring were these cuties....

Awwwww!!!

Oh, and this...

1x Bun!

An early afternoon sweep of the estuary would have been better if it wasn't for these flushers....

****s!!!! Bye bye birdies....

Another check later produced two Med Gulls (adult and second-winter), and I managed to get a closer look at GOR...

It is so good to have him/her back!

The only other birdie news I have to report for today is of three Green Sands on Blackhole Marsh and the Spoonbill still on Colyord Marsh this morning. A count of 37 Pied Wagtails on Bridge Marsh was rather notable, I'm sure either a White Wag or an LRP (or both!) will join them within the next couple of days.

You know, I really don't like March much...I've said it before on here! Expectation is so high, as is the anticipation of the floodgates opening for the northbound migrants....it is so so so near! But this month just drags on and on and on and ON....

Devon At Its Best

What a stunning day! This morning was just beautiful, a hard frost, a slight chill in the air, no wind and a cloud-less sky with the sun shining bright.... certianly one of those 'lucky to be alive' days.

Had to go over to Exeter this morning, to carry out a monthly Cirl Bunting survey...which is a bit of a farce as I've never seen a single Cirl Bunting at the site in the two years I've been doing it! I went to Exeter via a quick drive along the Axe, the frost making the place look even more beautiful than it already looks...

Looking north from Coronation Corner

From the farm gate

So I headed off to Exeter, and arrived on site at 8am. At 8:01 I opened my car door, with Chris Moyles still blasting out of my car radio.....bloody hell.....Cirl Bunting!!! Literally in the bushes right above where I park my car was a stunning male Cirl Bunting singing its heart out!!!

WOW! This is the first Cirl Bunting I've seen for YEARS!

The third photo is a snapshot from a video clip, a longer clip than the one below. Sorry about the ending!!!

He stayed here singing for a few minutes before flying off and I didn't see him again.

Otherwise there was just the usual fare on show, though the frost just made me want to photograph everything I saw! So I did...

Yawn!!!

And I just had to snap these...

Ummm... I know up to four, that's a boy.... but what's thirteen???

Even the city of Exeter looked nice this morning...

At this distance it did anyway!!! :-)

Exeter Cathedral on full zoom from the same spot as the photo taken above...impressive!

I made a couple of small detours during the drive home to Seaton, the first one being a quick stop here...

I've not been here for a while!

I'm pleased to report three Dartford Warblers (two males and a female) just inside the entrance gate to the reserve on the left hand side. They were too intent on chasing each other around, and only sang from deep inside the gorse, so the best I got was this...

They were very camera shy and VERY quick!!!

After Aylesbeare I popped into Jacob's Ladder, Sidmouth. I could see at least five Purple Sandpipers, but they were very distant, sleeping on the right hand breakwater. The view towards Ladram Bay was STUNNING...

A view fit for a postcard!

And that sums up my VERY enjoyable morning. I reckon this afternoon may well produce our first Wheatear of the spring, be a good day to cross the channel today. Pity I'll be in work, but it's okay cuz I'll be smiling for quite a while after this morning....

We Are Nearly There!

This morning, a few Meadow Pipits and alba Wagtails were heading north up the valley, along with a single Golden Plover over Seaton Marshes...birds are on the move! Mind you, although the sun was shining for most of the day, it really didn't feel like spring with the flipping cold north wind that's been blowing!!!

Yet again the valley was well flooded this morning, and Colyford Common looked like this...

I love it when it's like this!

The Spoonbill was sleeping besides the river and the only other bird worth mentioning here was a Water Pipit on the Common, with a few Rock Pipits. It was a bit too distant for photos, but I still had a go...

At least it's identifiable from these pics....just!

Lower Bruckland Ponds yet again offered Tufted Ducks, and this time it was a pair...

Be nice if they stayed and made baby Tufted Ducks!

Trinty Hill failed to show any Crossbills, it was really windy up here and my visit had to be cut short due to taxiing requirements. A brief stop of at home showed our wintering female Blackcap...

....making the most of a Royal Gala!

I failed to find a Ring-billed Gull this afternoon so had to make do with three Med Gulls...

A smart adult but rather backlit!

A second-winter...VERY backlit!

And the third...can you spot it?? (a first-winter)

Waders on show included the Knot, two Dunlin and 20+ Blackwits, which included a colour-ringed bird. The combination of yellow, red, yellow on one leg confirmed it as one of ours, and on the other leg was green, orange, red (GOR). I think this bird was ringed in October 2008 at Colyford Common, but don't quote me on that.

I did my best to ignore all the Redshanks, but this one just could not, not be photographed...

Sorry...I promise you won't see another Redshank photo on this blog again for a long time!

Have got to grips with my new Nikon, and am a very happy chappy! Another problem with my old Nikon was that it wouldn't recognise my digital remote clicker when I plugged it in...but this one does :-) I think not having to touch the camera to take a photo will be a mega bonus, it means there will be zero camera shake! Anyway, this is how my setup looks...

It's nice to be digi-scoping again!

I shall finish this post with this photo taken by Sue Smith, I hope you don't mind me posting it on here Sue! She was sat in Colyford Common hide yesterday afternoon...

You don't often get these two species in the same photo!!!

A Quality Filled Half Hour Out With Yet Another Camera...

Had a nice surprise at work today, thanks to Devon birder Allan Matthews.

He'd seen on here that my Nikon 4500 had gone kaput. He also owned a Nikon 4500, which had also gone kaput! But not as kaput as mine, meaning it could still be used for digi-scoping purposes. So, he wondered whether I'd like it...I didn't hesitate one bit! Thanks very much Allan :-)

I was at work til gone 4pm (after starting at 6am!), and didn't get out birding until after five. A sweep of the estuary revealed the Knot and a nice adult Med Gull. Although the latter was asleep all the time, and the sun was in the worst direction possible, I just had to see if my new Nikon can do what I want it to do...and it does :-) I didn't set any settings, just turned it on and started clicking. Weird using one again though, I've got so used to the Lumix!

I love Med Gulls....especially at this time of year!!

Earlier in the day, Dad found for Whooper Swans on Colyford Marsh. A look from the farm gate after my estuary sweep showed they were still with us, resting on Colyford Scrape. I WISH I had been sat in Colyford hide, as they were in the nearest corner of the scrape to the hide, and the late evening sunshine would have made them look really superb. Instead I had distant views in rubbish light, and I shouldn't have even bothered taking this photo....

The fourth one is in front of the middle bird!

The only reason I have posted this photo is because you can just about make out the orange-stained heads. All four birds have orange heads, and I don't just mean slight hints of orangeness...they are ORANGE ORANGE!

I've seen the odd bird in flocks of Whoopers with this staining, but never an entire flock (even if the flock is of only four birds!). So could this tell us where these birds have come from...anyone recently seen four orange-headed Whoopers together? Or is there a Whooper wintering site around where orange-headed birds are predominate?

On the other end of Colyford Scrape was a/the adult Spoonbill...nice :-)

Driving back along the estuary heading for home, I just had to stop and take this snap of our Blackwit flock resting in the last of today's light...

It was back to the Lumix for this one!!!

I finally have a day off tomorrow, I plan to make the most of it....

The Seaton Birders' Spring Nightmare

This happens far too often here, mostly in early spring. LRP's, Garganeys, and other early migrants that are fond of muddy edges/small pools are flooding northwards and hit the south coast of England.

The birders on the Exe are over the moon as they make land fall there, as are other birders all along the south coast of Cornwall/Devon/Dorset etc..... But here? Well they can't see us at all! "River Axe??? Where's that????"

From Seaton Hole

From Musbury Castle

From Trinity Hill

Yes, it's the dreaded Axe Valley fog! Note the glorious blue skies above. Migrant birds just can't see us!!!! It's not as bad when it's raining, because that forces any over flying birds low, but sunny skies and valley fog/low cloud is a very PANTS combination, and it happens too often! Beer Head defo becomes the prime spot in these conditions.

Anyway, haven't seen much at all this morning really. Several Crossbills calling at Trintiy Hill, but didn't see any. The only birdie photos I got were on very tame targets...

Under rated ducks these...they are great with half an orange!

One of the male Blackbirds in my front garden!!