Grey Plover & colourful Kingfishers

Now I have retired from full-time work and have the precious resource of time to play with, the point of doing this blog is to get me out and about birding regularly, to get me to take the time to look (have a 'proper gander') at the world around me. 'What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare' (H. Davis, 1911). Today was another beautiful winter's morning, so I decided to head out and see where I ended up!

I took my usual route down to the estuary. There were about 40 Rooks on the field by the 'wibbly-wobbly' path, most paired up and getting ready to breed.


A Chiffchaff was calling in the hedge on the road between Lower Halsdon farm and Mudbank, but too elusive for a photo!

Practically the first bird I saw on reaching Mudbank was this female Kingfisher (below) on the wall by the train bridge.



The tide was almost at its lowest by the time I arrived at Mudbank, and Little Egret, Wigeon, Brent Geese, Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwit (5+), Turnstone, Dunlin, Ringed and Grey Plovers were spread over a large area.




There were about 20 Grey Plovers feeding in the viewable area. Here are a couple:



A handful of Dunlin were feeding close to the Weasel Run path. Here are a few with a Common Gull.


Some confiding Brent Geese.


The estuary was pretty quiet; I was looking for mergansers but couldn't see any in binocular range. I need to visit with my scope later this month or get the tide right! I did pick up a lone Greenshank feeding some distance away.


The entrance to Exmouth seafront was guarded by this Shag:


A Kingfisher was sat on the rocks by the jetty at Pirate Cove but it flew off and around the jetty. However, I followed it to the rocks in front of the seawall, where another was also present.



On the seawall, a Rock Pipit was feeding and drinking from a crack in the wall.


I finally headed up along the Madeira Walk and up through the town to see if I could find any Firecrests (I couldn't today), but I did find a couple of Ring-Necked Parakeets up on Douglas Avenue.



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