Wolves Wild

A great black-backed gull on a fence post, looking round to survey the area. The pictures were taken from one of my favourite bird-watching spots: the beer garden of the Bridge Inn at Topsham.

At high tide, the water in the Exe estuary comes right up to the retaining wall of the Goat Walk at Topsham. At low tide a long stretch of mud, with patches of seaweed is left exposed.

In winter, that mud is popular with waders which use the estuary as their cold weather home, probing for invertebrates to eat. In summer, the mud isn’t as crowded with bird life, though there’s usually several gulls, and sometimes the odd mallard or two.

Less usual was this female blackbird, poking around among the weed.

A cluster of unripe green berries at the top of a robust-looking stalk in a roadside hedgerow. Could only be lords and ladies (wild arum).

After repeated (brief) visits to the RSPB Bowling Green Marsh reserve, finally the spoonbills were doing something a little more active that standing still with their backs pointing towards the hide.

As they gently preened, they offered a few glimpses of the “spoon” at the end of their bills.

A flock of curlews circle over Bowling Green Marsh, looking for the best place to land.

Forcing its way through between the footpath on Topsham’s Goat Walk and the lichen-embellished stone wall, wild carrot plants with their extravagant number of tiny flowers.