Now that I am back home in Devon I immediately got back to work, that is, studying the birds and wildlife on my local patch, the Alphin Brook. I arrived back at 1630 yesterday afternoon and with only a bit of daylight left, I went to have a look at my two hides to check for any vandalism. I am very glad to report that they were both still intact and in fine fettle!  Number one hide….. the original,  positioned for the Kingfisher, was looking promising, the water level at the moment is very low and there are a lot of exposed muddy areas again. Good for Snipe……. please come back! Hide number 2 was fine, all the seed has gone from the feeding station as well as the Sprats, put out to attract the Heron and Egret.

I got up at dawn this morning and positioned myself in the Kingfisher hide. There was a lot of bird activity all around me, Grey Wagtails, Pied Wagtails, Mallard, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Blackbirds, Black Headed Gull and a few Redwings who have turned to earth worms now that the berries have pretty much been finished up.

The Little Egret landed in front of me and I have no explanation as to why I didn't finish up with any really good shots of him, mainly I think, because I have set my self very high standards. I did take this very nice Redwing portrait, so the early morning was definitely not a waste. The Kingfisher was there but upstream, I saw him make a few dives. He didn't come close to me though. It seems that the birds are starting to form pairs now.  Both the Grey and Pied Wagtails were chasing around in pairs. For the Grey Wagtails this is a nice development as mostly through the winter, up until now, they have been solitary. The Pieds however, have tended to stay in "true" pairs all winter.

Just a little about Otters – Lutra lutra. It is a known fact that they  use the Alphin Brook as a route in and out of the City to connect with the River Exe. There has been a recent sighting very close to my hide. I am always half expecting to see one, or at least catch a glimpse. Also, a friend has told me of an encounter a couple of weeks ago on the Exeter Canal when a "dog" Otter emerged from the Brook a mile or so down stream, and then went across the iced up Canal to the opposite side.   Today I found my first positive tracks in a newly exposed muddy bank, literally 10 feet from the hide. I can hardly image how wonderful it would be to observe the animal that made those tracks and to know that it has been there in the last 48 hours or so is very encouraging and exciting. I would expect that the tracks were made in the hours of darkness, so I am looking for a miracle to see one during the day.