Spent most of this lovely day checking around the Estuary. Scans from Exmouth, Exton and Turf revealed: 8 Great Crested Grebes, 74+ Shelduck, 78+ Pintail, 51 Mergansers, 350 Lapwings, 23 Golden Plover, 800+ Black-tailed Godwits, 1400+ Dunlin, 240+ Avocets and 150+ Common Gulls. And loads of Brents.
The Red-breasted Goose was at Bowling Green Marsh with 1 Barnacle and 2 Greylags, 2 Little Grebes, 1 Green Sandpiper and a Sparrowhawk. And loads of Canadas!
A walk to Turf along the Canal yielded 8 Greylags, 20 Gadwall (lagoon), Kingfisher, Chiffchaff and 4 Cetti's Warblers (1 singing by the car park). During 16:00-16:30 small groups of Greenfinches kept arriving from the north - at least 193 counted. Some landed in canalside willows, so presumably were intending to roost in the area.
Finished with a 'Woodcock watch' from the edge of Haldon near Chudleigh: only one flew out (at 17:00), 3-4 being more usual here in winter.
