🕊Guided Bird Watching Review – Thursday 20th February🕊

A passing cold front brought strong wind and rain showers at first, but later this turned to some welcome sunshine. A Red-necked Grebe was diving with Red-breasted Mergansers near Exmouth and the resident Slavonian Grebe, the first of several Great Crested Grebes and three Goldeneye (one drake) were seen off Cockwood. Several Greenshanks were in evidence between Starcross and Powderham, where Herons were getting blown around in the heronry. The first Avocet was also at Powderham and surprisingly few were seen until Turf, where the mudbanks held 15 Ringed Plovers, a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits and maybe 50 each of Grey Plover and Knot. A few Golden Plovers flew around: most were presumably with Lapwings in the flooded marshes. A couple of Sanderlings were with Dunlins and other waders seen along the river channel towards Topsham, where unusually Bar-tailed Godwits dominated the godwit flocks.

Dave Smallshire