David

More pictures from around the Exe estuary. Footprints left in damp sand on the dunes of Dawlish Warren, I think by a weasel.

Little egrets used to be occasional visitors to England. Now there are significant numbers in established populations in the south west.

These pictures were taken on a recent visit to the Exe estuary. The egret was on the RSPB reserve at Bowling Green, Topsham.

This guineafowl is among the stock at Northycote Farm. It was a little muddy, but much less so than the pig pictured at the same time.

A male little grebe in breeding plumage swimming on the canal by Aldersely Junction. The birds overwinter here, and are usually gone before their plumage changes.

Hat tip:
Chris @ Smestow Valley Birding, for prompting the walk where I saw this bird as well as the dabchick which featured in the previous post.

A male little grebe fishing in the canal under the Tettenhall Road bridge.

Vigorously shaking its head to stun or kill the small fish he has just brought up.

Puts it back into the water.

Begins to eat the fish.

Back into the water again.

All eaten up, and on the point of diving again after fresh prey.

The pond at Northycote Farm with a thin cover of ice last week.

Uneven surface to the ice near the edge of the pond. Perhaps from gasses given off by rotting vegetation in the pond, the surface of the bubbles frozen before they burst.