We arrived at home from our usual Sunday morning breakfast outing in the late morning, I can't ever remember a March day as cold as it felt, but we are lucky here in Devon, even though the heavy rain has flooded the rivers and fields. We came in to the garden to be greeted by two small warblers flitting low from bush to bush. I immediately grabbed my camera and tried for a shot but unfortunately I couldn't lock on to it. I herd a call and checked on the iPad for either Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler and the little bird responded to the call I was listening to. It was a very yellowish bird, like a female Willow Warbler and the fact that it responded to the Willow Warbler caller would indicate that it was not a Chiffchaff. From time to time over the years, we have had "Willow/Chafs" in the garden, in fact only on two other ocassions before.
Now armed with the knowledge that, unusually, even Devon gardens were full of migrants I thought I should go out to the marsh to see if I could find some more of my own. The marsh was about the wettest I have ever seen it and the road was completely flooded which in a way was good because it meant that it was very quiet. The only people there being people like myself, that is, anyone who could tollerate a wet boot full of icy water because the only way to get down the road was to wade through and suffer the inevitable. My boots are neoprene so the damp feet son warmed up like a wetsuit! Once on the marsh birds were everywhere including a few Swallows and a Martin as well as Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler more Chiffchaffs.... at least 6 and the usual over wintering birds in large numbers. Godwits, Dunlin, Curlew and ducks in 5 varieties. For me the highlight was the massive flock of Black-tailed Godwits which made my wet feet well worth it.
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