The hedgerows around the ditches of the Marshes are squeaking!
Walk quietly and gently and you can often hear the tiny mouse-like 'squeak, squeak' of the UK's smallest bird - the Goldcrest, with the occasional and rarer Firecrest. They flit from twig to twig, hunting out little insects buried in the moss, lichen, bark and leaves on the trees and bushes.
These funny little characters with their distinctive 'frown' and golden yellow 'Mohican' crest are a cheerful sight on a winter's day. Full of energy, they rarely sit still, making photos challenging. But whilst standing very still, watching the Grey Wagtail puddle dipping (see post below), I became aware of the familiar squeaking getting nearer and nearer in the hedgerow to my left. As I gently and carefully turned towards the direction of the squeaking I saw a tiny eye observing me from a gap in the brambles. Curiosity got the better of him and I managed a super-quick shot before he flitted back under cover.
A shimmer of sunlight on Tuesday took me to the wooded part of Milbury lane on the edge of Exminster Marshes. My aim? To get some brighter pics of the Woodpeckers I saw on mirky Monday. But my path was soon cut off by this pretty little Grey Wagtail who really wasn't going to move out of the way to let me pass. I tried taking a wide berth around her chosen muddy puddle in the middle of the track, but she just edged along to the next puddle ... and then the next, until she reached the last puddle and I knew if I pushed on further, her essential feeding binge would be over.
This bird is now on the 'Red List' in conservation terms and I didn't want to be responsible for this one not getting a good fill on a cold winter's day. So I stayed and watched for a joyous hour or two, losing all sense of time.
Such a shame to give such a bright little bird such a grey name!
It's the unexpected and unplanned moments that mean the most when out with my camera and our trip along part of the West Welsh coast was well and truly unplanned, leading to the most unexpected of moments.
On our way back to Devon from the Christie hospital, Manchester and whilst waiting for scan results we needed a distraction. We were in our campervan and decided to head for the Welsh coast for a few days.
We knew nothing about the area so I pawed over the map and decided the coast around Borth looked interesting. We stumbled on a gem of a place to stay for the night North of Borth alongside the golf club and the beach. £5 for 24 hours in a campervan.
Sand dunes and estuary nearby - a Bird Watchers paradise. Wide sandy beach with endless sunshine - everyone's paradise!
Watching the sun go down from our vantage point on the pebbled ridge above the sandy beach I noticed well disguised Ringed Plovers dashing between the stones near our feet.
In the morning we headed to Borth town for bread and I noticed many sea birds gathering over the small bay in front of the Lifeboat station - a back drop of cliffs and rocky outcrops providing an obvious habitat and roosting spot. More and more birds were gathering in the air and on the water.
I spotted Sandwich Terns, common Terns and endless gulls. But they were all dwarfed by the huge cloud of black and white Manx Shearwaters! They were crashing onto the water, then pedalling across the surface to take off again, taking to the sky in search of their next prey. It seemed they had found themselves quite a feast in the water and were on a frenzied binge!
What an incredible and totally unexpected sight to witness, forever in my mind and thankfully recorded on camera.
