Bowling Green Marsh Topsham
I watched the female smew from the hide between 16.45 and 17.15 this afternoon. At first it was on the lagoon, diving for long periods often coming up a long way from where it had gone down. Then it obligingly came to land right in front of the hide and spent much time fiddling about, wing-flicking, preening, chasing lapwings, pecking at reeds etc. It was still not really settled when I had to leave. There was plenty of other activity on the marsh - 70-80 lapwings, around 40 Black-Tailed godwit and other duck - Shoveler (c30), Pintail (16) Tufted Duck (6) Pochard (8) Gadwall (2) Teal (50+) Wigeon (120+). Plus 3 brent geese and a little grebe.[from Steve Oliver]