Hello again
I’m writing these notes on February 9th (my birthday as it happens!) because we will be away for a while.
On a recent good day, weather-wise, Margaret and I decided to go down to Budleigh Salterton for a walk along the Otter Estuary. It’s a good place to
see birds, particularly at this time of the year. A lot of winter visitors arrive there from colder climes.
In the fields adjoining the river there were lots of wild 
duck, including teal, wigeon, shelduck and, of course, mallards. Also, a heron, two egrets and a pair of mute swans.
One year we were lucky enough to have a very good sighting of a water rail there. These birds are smaller than moorhens and normally they are notoriously difficult to see because they skulk around in the reeds.
We also saw three deer grazing at the field edge which I think were fallow deer. Tony Lister tells me that he had two 
goldcrests in his garden. They are Britain’s smallest bird and I have never seen one here in Payhembury! On a walk down to Tuck Mill, I saw my sparrowhawk at Willands Ash, plus two mistle thrushes in the field near Blue Anchor.
I recently put some fat balls out for the birds and they have attracted lots of long tailed tits which come every day.
Alan Jones, 01404 841671
