one of two woodlark - Orcombe Point
Surprisingly good birding this morning but had to cut short seawatch because of the cold easterly-biased wind and no gloves!
Otter Ledge - 905-1005 - red-throated diver c15/20+, auk sp c1800+(v rough estimate), gannet c100+, kittiwake c200+, great northern diver 1, pintail 2, great skua 1 tufted duck 1 - all birds east
Also on estuary, black-tailed godwit 8, pintail 2, shoveler 1, gadwall 2, dunlin 9+, mediterranean gull 3ad, turnstone 2.
Orcombe Point - 1120-1300 - lapwing c200+, golden plover 10, grey plover 2(!), snipe c70+, pintail 1fem(!), curlew c30+, starling c30, merlin 1male, woodlark 2 (see photo), chaffinch 6+, mistle thrush 2, redwing c100+, grey wagtail 1, peregrine 1.
It was really odd to see two grey plover and a pintail feeding amongst the lapwing in the top stubble field this morning. No doubt this very unusual record can be explained by the recent exceptionally cold weather. Snipe numbers are also exceptional and the woodlark is a personal first for me for these fields.
