I went over to Black Hole Marsh, Seaton this morning. Soon after I arrived I caught a glimpse of a distant shape through the trees near the visitors centre and gliding towards the river. My gut feel was Short-eared Owl. I talked myself out of it though and walked over to Tower Hide to view the marsh and the river. The water level is pretty high on Black Hole Marsh at the moment and it was full tide on the river. There were a few waders about, seeing 1 Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper.
Soon after a Barn Owl appeared, hunting low across the marsh and surrounding areas of rough grassy fields. Here's a short video clip:
Barn Owl hunting over the rough grass
Day-Hunting Barn Owl
The Barn Owl disappeared and a few minutes later a second Owl materialised in the field to the south of Tower Hide - a beautiful Short-eared Owl! Nice! I got the messages out to the local Birders and grabbed some photos. I'm being told that this was the first record for BHM this year (Steve @axebirder had one recently on Beer Head). It spent some time flying but quite a lot of time sitting on convenient posts.
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Later, around 8pm, I returned. The SEO had been seen again in the early evening but was not showing.The Barn Owl however, appeared again and I got these "moody" shots as it was perched on the "Black Hole Marsh" signpost and began its evening shift:
A trip off patch. The Hoopoe reported late last night was re-found this morning and I heard that it was showing well near Lower Bruckland Ponds. I was lucky enough to see the bird which appeared at Lyme Regis golf course a couple of years ago. They're wonderful and although they appear regularly in Spring as exotic 'overshoots', these birds are rare in this country, striking in appearance and always nice to see. So, I was disappointed that I couldn't get to see the recent Hoopoe on Portland. And was at Dawlish the day before one turned up there last week, so missed that one too. I was keen to see another, particularly as it was so near to home, albeit 'off-patch'! It proved too good to miss so I drove down to near Musbury this afternoon. What a beauty the bird was, feeding energetically in the grass alongside a pond and lit up by brilliant sunshine. Surprisingly insconspicuous at distance and initially keeping low to the grass ...
Watchful
... the bird gradually moved further out into the open, showing its beautiful plumage, black and white back, dramatic crest, black eye in a pinkish beige head and long slender bill:
Here's a short video of the Hoopoe feeding in the soft ground near one of the ponds.
