Common Tern

Linnets are normally a devil to get close to on Orcombe, but three birds kept landing close to me this morning, making them impossible to ignore...

Today's most notable sighting was my first Common Tern of the year. It was offshore with at least 15 Sandwich Terns. A thirty-five minute sea-watch (0605 - 0640) also yielded 3 Great Northern Divers, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Shelduck and a Fulmar.

Nearby on Orcombe - just 2 Wheatear, 3 Whitethroats and my first House Martin of the year (east).

A quick look off Mudbank, before returning home for breakfast, produced 30+ Whimbrel, 16 Sandwich Terns, 6 Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Dunlin, 1 Greenshank, 1 Mallard, 1 Black-headed Gull, 3 Swallows and 12 House Martins, across the river, north-east.

I took mum for a drive up on Dartmoor today. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

These little round flowers look more like berries, but this is the flower of the Bilberry!

Ramsons

Holly Blue - lots of these around the garden today.

Bugle

Bitter Vetch - I've been looking for this for a little while now. Also known as Heath Pea, I knew I was in with a chance on the local pebbled heaths. I eventually found a few plants near Woodbury Park.

Bush Vetch - had to look at a lot of this before I found the similar Bitter Vetch...