Riverside Valley Park

I popped out for a few hours yesterday afternoon to visit the Riverside Valley Park which follows the River Exe & the Exeter Ship Canal into Exeter. I’ve never been there before so went to explore & hopefully see Green Sandpipers which have been reported there recently.  I checked Devon Bird News before leaving the car park & as it showed a Green Sandpiper at Matford Marsh a few minutes walk away, I went there first. Sure enough, there was one Green Sandpiper bobbing away......another one for the Year List.

I checked the Exe from the bridge before going into the park, there were 2 Lesser-black Backed Gulls in with the Herring Gulls. 

Looking South down the Exe 

 I walked North in the park to the first pool, which has a viewing screen not designed for people of 5 ft 4. The bottom hole was too low & the top one too high! I ended up kneeling on the gravel, not very comfy. There were just a few Wigeon, Teal &  Mallard, a snipe & a Little Egret.

I'm too short, or too tall....

Little Egret

On to the second pool which was quite difficult to view as there was no vantage point, although I did manage to see another Green Sandpiper. I carried on to the Double Lock where I turned around & headed back. Apart from a couple of Goosanders on the river, I didn't find anything of note.

Double Lock 

The Green Sandpiper has put my Year List on 140 plus 1 Sub-species