Sidmouth Seafront and Aylesbeare Common

We've been in Sidmouth for four weeks now and I've only been out birding three times, a couple of visits to the seafront three weeks ago and today I popped over to Alylesbeare Common for a couple of hours. It's always been one of my favourite spots and now I'm only a ten minute drive away I'll be visiting much more regularly.

I've seen Purple Sandpipers on the Seafront in the past but on my two trips there since living here I haven't spotted any, probably just can't see them through the hoards of Turnstones. They are everywhere! Petty tame too, you could trip over one if you weren't careful. Funny to think that last year when I was doing the patch yearlist I spent hours trying to get a shot of one on Black Hole Marsh.

Beer Head and Under Hooken

Jacob's Ladder. 

This will probably be my new sea-watching spot.

Oystercatcher

 Turnstone

Feeding on Barnacles

Aylesbeare Common was pretty quiet today but unusually warm for the last day of November, so much so that I even saw a Red Admiral on the wing. As I wandered around I managed to bump into three different Dartford Warblers, a couple close enough for photos too! Great to see these doing well again after their decimation in the hard winter of 2010/11.

Dartford Warbler