A pair of mergansers on the River Exe. The female was spending more time diving for fish, and seemed to submerge just before I pressed the shutter.
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Mergansers on the Exe
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Distant kestrel, Exe estuary
A distant kestrel hovers over the same patch of ground, working hard to surf the turbulent wind. It swoops. Has it spotted possible prey? If so, it changes its mind, pausing to hover again at a fresh vantage point.
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Avocets on exposed mud, Exe estuary
According to the marketing department of Great Western Railway, avocets are the bird of the Exe estuary: the line from Exeter to Exmouth is the Avocet Line.
Attractive as the birds are, they are only there for a few months as a winter refuge. Here are some feeding on exposed mud at low tide late in January. Most likely, they have already headed off to their breeding grounds.
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Curlew on exposed mud
A lone curlew walking across the mud exposed at low tide on the Exe estuary.
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Black headed gulls on exposed sandbank
Yet more birds gathering on the mud exposed at low tide in the Exe estuary. Black headed gulls this time.
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Robin by a lane, Bowling Green
Robin perching on a bramble twig. Bowling Green, Topsham: not actually on the RSPB reserve, but the quiet lane leading to it. Hedgerow birds like robins and dunnocks seem to be bolder than usual there.