A windy Grey Phalarope

Last night just before I went to bed I happened to look at the Devon Birds website & saw that there had been a Grey Phalarope on the Otter at Budleigh during the day. This morning it was blowing a hooley, but after a bit of early indecision I finally got myself in gear & headed for the estuary. Actually, I couldn't have been entirely in gear as I forgot my bins! Still, I had the scope & camera so it wasn't a complete disaster!

There were already a couple of people with a scope by the car park looking at the Phalarope, so I didn't even have to search for it. We walked along the top of the shingle bank, not wanting to get too close & scare it off, but then a couple of people & dogs walked right past it on the lower path & it didn't bat an eyelid…so we then went down the slope and had fantastic views of it feeding in the mud. It was definitely a bit of a show off, walking back & forth right in front of us. I'd called Libby when I first arrived, so she came along and got number 203 on her Year List, and brought along her friend Delia, a photographer, who took lots of photos which I have no doubt will be far better than mine!

It's the little white sport on the far side of the water ahead of my shadow!