The Young Birder

  A trip down to Devon... I  saw a group of Turnstones on some rocks really close by some steps leading onto Sidmouth beach. I walked slowly down, until I was as close as I could get to them, without falling in the sea! I really like the waves and stray water droplets  around it. RSPB Bowling Green Marshes, a brilliant nature reserve which backs onto the Exe Estuary -  walking to one of the hides I spotted this Little Egret  on the mud flats.  Little Egrets are not to be confused with the Great White Egret. (I've seen a few wildlife presenters get it wrong on TV!) GWE are much larger, standing at double the height as a Grey Heron and generally have a yellow beak, whereas the LE is half that size, has a black beak and is much more common. Here are some more pics from the trip, not the best but I thought were still worth putting in... Chiffchaff at Bowling Green Marshes.  And a beautiful Kingfisher, also taken at Seaton Wetlands.

Today I had a stroll on the Malvern Hills, just 20 minutes drive away from my house. A friend had alerted me that  Snow Bunting had been sighted at the Worcestershire Beacon, the highest point on the Worcestershire side of the Malvern Hills.  So, off I went to try and photograph  these small but rare buntings even though it was an ove rcast day. As I approached the top of the beacon  I saw a flutter in the long grass, had a quick look through my camera viewfinder and saw the Snow Bunting flitting around. I just managed to to get an image before it flew off out of sight. I think this is a female. On with the walk... coming to an area of thick gorse I saw a group of Stonechats; a male and two females, these 2 images are males.  Stonechats are really quite common on the Malverns  and I see them all year round.