Birds vs cake

Spent the weekend in Devon for a REGUA meeting, but managed to sneak in a little birding as well. A look at the Otter Estuary and the sea at Budleigh Salterton on Saturday morning (14th) with the Cream Tea Birder found no sign of the long staying Snow Bunting or the reported 4 Pale-bellied Brents in a freezing south-easterly. 1 Red-breasted Merganser, a single Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Stonechat, 1 Peregrine, 4 Reed Bunting, a few Rock Pipit and lots of Northern Gannet and auks moving east were the best we could could muster, so in true Cream Tea Birding style we abandoned the birds and loaded up on cakes at the Lawn Bakery instead!

The Lawn Bakery in Budleigh Salterton - for when there's no birds about

The meeting itself was held at a beautiful house on the edge of Dartmoor. Owners Kevin and Donna are passionate conservationists, in the process of restoring the hay meadows, wet meadows and oak and beech woods on their land, and even creating a small wetland. They have also put up nest boxes for Pied Flycatchers, Common Redstarts, Goosanders and Barn Owls, and now have six pairs of Pied Flycatchers (fledging 17 young last year). A walk around their land yesterday was fairly quiet but did produce an accidentally flushed Tawny Owl. Many thanks Kevin and Donna for being wonderful hosts and facilitating a very productive meeting.

Pied Flycatcher (left) and Common Redstart nest boxes