Birds around and about Alphington

Jenny and I went shopping to Sainsbury's at noon today after our usual Sunday morning breakfast outing. We always like to walk, even though I was struggling with my bad arthritic knee - a nightmare by the way. We just happened to walk past a dozen or so birders who were waiting, with the usual array of optics - long lenses, binos and scopes etc. by the carpark  This could only mean one thing - Waxwings! I don't know what it is about Waxwings and Alphington but we always seem to get them here when they are in Devon. Anyway, it seems that I was just a little bit late as they had already polished off the berries from a small clump of shrubs and moved on to look for more somewhere else - later 9 were seen feeding at nearby Topsham, more than likely the same ones - so I missed them but hopefully all my fellow birders managed to see them if they haven't before. Yesterday I had been to my Kingfisher stakeout and sat in the cold for a couple of hours but, for the firsts time in  least 20 visits since November, I didn't get a visit.  However I did get a visit from a Water Rail for the first time which moved very quickly across the brook and then 30 minutes later it scurried back in the opposite direction, a real frustration that I didn't get a photo of it, a lovely species! The lack of Kingfisher may well have been due to a walker who lingered for ages taking photos of the brook and the surrounds without realising that I was tucked away under cover, always good to know that my camouflage is effective but frustrating that there is disturbance.  Towards the end of the session, just when the cold had started to win and my feet were freezing, in flew the resident Heron which is pretty much a daily visitor at the brook here.  It must find something to eat at this spot but I have never seen it catch anything, but it keeps on returning.  I saw a female Sparrowhawk twice on this visit so another reason why the Kingfishers were keeping a low profile.  I daydreamed about the possible photo opportunities of a Sparrowhawk with Kingfisher, I wouldn't like it to happen but if it did i would like to get the picture!