The Boss, being The Boss, finds a White-fronted Goose on the Exe. Not unsurprising; it's winter and we've had easterly winds coming from a cold continent, and other EWFG turning up about the country.
It being midweek, certain job-having birders have to wait a bit before trying to see it, and we do want to see it, as it seems to have hit its head or something and forgotten that wild geese in Devon are supposed to show riiiiiiiight over there..
Friday arrives and the weather is.. unhelpful.
I did some seawatching, as you may have read last time, but other people did manage to see the goose. Possibly in the morning?
Anyways, Saturday dawns with a forecast of early rain clearing early-mid morning and lighter winds.
Reality is rather different.
I, no, we - as I was not alone in Questing For The Vanishing Goose - spent more than three hours looking for and through groups of hiding Canada and Brent Geese. Some goons in a buggy didn't help matters, flushing all the geese from down by the railway bridge [where it had been showing] which was considerate of them. Doing whatever they were doing on the weekend, for maximum public annoyance and all.
Anyways, the goose was found, and seen, right off over there ::points::
I observed that I could have stayed in my car, not getting dizzled on sideways, and waited on the sunshine and done just as well.
I did see some nice Marsh Harriers [also right over there {different over there than WFG}], another showy Greenshank, and various other things, so I suppose it wasn't all bad.
The next day I was more dedicated to the Patch, having a good amble around. It was much of a muchness on and off shore, though an actually photographable Firecrest 'somewhere on Patch' was a nice change.
Later in the day, I met up with a Certain Birder and we went to a Certain Place, where, despite the weather, we saw Certain Birds. Three of them.
It was good.
[Oh, so cryptic]
Cut to this last weekend, where the only proper birding was done on Sunday. Having missed Spoonbill in North Devon, learning there was one tarting about the Exe again gave me ideas. Seawatching was the order of the day, at least at first and I gave it an hour at the Nose.
It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful.
You may have read of record passages of Red-throated Divers 'upstream', past the mouth of the Exe. I saw two. They did come through together, and quite close in, but, well.
I suppose the RTDs were congregating in the sheltered waters off Labrador Bay [which is a good place for them]. Or they went through before or after I was watching, of course.
Oh well.
5 GNDs were on the sea, a couple of Harbour Porpoise were in Hope Cove, and a late-on rush of Razorbills at least got something over 200. But the rain was setting in, passage was stalling, and it was either stay for the day or get going. I got.
Glonk Corner, 1hr
Gannet 24
Auks* 286
Kittiwake 20
Common Gull 19
RTD 2
[*Primarily {>90%} Razorbill, all tracked past Ore Stone colony without stopping]
Common Gulls and Kittiwakes also passing birds, not loitering.
Going? When the wind was blowing?
I had a mission.
I was hoping the Spoonie would come into Bowling Green with the high tide, fleeing the windy Exminster.
Yeah.
I'd started at Dart's Farm, worked through Goosemoor to Bowling Green, then went Exe-wards. Nothing. Well, at least 4 Greenshank on Goosemoor, lots of Blackwits up close on BG, and a male Ruff with them was my first of the year. Lots of Pintail were on and coming into BGM; I counted 98, with plenty of hiding spots for more.
The Spoonie had apparently come in very late the day before, and so there was a choice to make. Stay put [in the dry, did I mention it was rather heaving it across?] and hope it did it again, or go looking to see if it was huddled with the Corms on Exminster...
Ah feck it.
Exminster was oddly quiet for a time when the road was not flooded knee-deep [funny, that]. The odd dog-walker, a lone angler, three mad running blokes, that was it.
I started by the railway line - hoping with laughable optimism to pick the Spoonbill up from the first gate, maybe please? - and worked as far out as the viewing box. No Spoonbill. Shock.
A 1w Marsh Harrier was annoying the ducks [full crop, so presumably looking for somewhere out of the weather to roost], the Scaup and Pochard were on the reservoir, and a Cetti's Warbler popped up in front of me [[said "You're nuts, you know that?" and vanished into deep cover]], but no horizontal white thing on legs.
I checked the Exe. Tide still up, no Spoonie.
There were two other places it could possibly be; Powderham Marsh, down a long long muddy walk, and Dawlish Warren, down a long drive and scope or hard walk across the dunes..
I made it to the railway bridge, debating my life choices and the vagaries of not chasing a year list honest, no really, I just want to see a bird, don't you believe me? I knew from past endeavours that you can see a surprising amount of PM from that bridge, if you're prepared to move around a bit and the leaves aren't out. So I had a look. This was straight into the teeth of the weather, but I'm a seawatcher.
There's a swan. Good, proof big white things are visible. [This was a recurring theme; if you can pick out Mute Swans, you can pick out Spoonbills] Then a bird took off. Big, white, from a standing start so not a swan, fast wingbeats, neck out, not a Great White Egret, that's the Spoonbill!!
It vanishing out of my limited view and I could not pick it up again.
Well, that was fortunate. If I hadn't stopped to check, I'd have yomped out to nothing.
Where did it go?
Was it really a Spoonbill or was I hallucinating? [No, don't laugh, you have to be sure] My nagging paranoia struck again so I thought to myself, 'Why not be sure?' 'It's more or less on the way' 'You might see something else... Little Gull, even?'
Bugger.
Left hand down a bit.
Cockwood Crossing gives - as part of a lovely panorama of the lower Exe estuary - a view down into the Railway Saltmarsh and across to Finger Point. No Spoonbill. A GCG and 5 RB Mergansers bobbed around, and scattering of Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal [[mutter mutter]] were exploiting the falling waters, but no Spoonie.
[[Dawlish Warren sightings confirm this, btw]]
The whole thing reminded me greatly of trips up to the Taw/Torridge; long yomp in wind, rain, and mud, to get a distant view of a Spoonbill.
The next day, you may be unsurprised but amused to learn, not one but two Spoonbills were at their usual spot with the Cormorants on Exminster.
I had time to get to the Nose, in hope of male BlackRed in the sunshine, to find no sign of him. The female Kestrel was very much in evidence, though. These two facts may not be unconnected.
Four Grey Seals were hauled out, but the seas - busy Guillemot colony aside - were quiet. A bevy of gulls were in evidence about the remains of the slick from the earlier rain, but not even a Med to be had..
Oh well.
Wait a minute.
I'm up to date.
Argh! Who am I and what have I done with myself? Again?!??!
Be Seeing You...
