More Flowers, few Birds

I think this is Sea Mouse-ear with four petals, 4 sepals and four styles. Confirmation or otherwise would be greatly appreciated. 

A quick sea-watch at dawn, from the raised beach huts, produced small numbers of Kittiwakes and Gannets, along with 3 Fulmars, 2 or 3 Great Northern Divers and 1 or 2 Common Scoters. Otherwise, off Mudbank just 8 Wigeon and 6 Red-breasted Mergansers with small numbers of Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving through.

Alexanders are popping up absolutely everywhere in Exmouth at the moment.

Could this be Cherry Plum?

Dog's Mercury

I'm assuming this is one of the Sedges? I found just the one plant on a shaded woodland bank.

Wood Anemone - frustrating to see this closed up but they're supposed to be common, so hopefully there will be plenty more to come...

Wood Spurge

I'm assuming these are flowers? A small pine species.

YLG

Second-winter Yellow-legged Gull.

Never too difficult in the summer but scarce in the winter, this is my second Yellow-legged Gull in Exmouth so far this year. If only I'd had better views but, as with most gulls this end of the Exe, it was always a long way off. Otherwise just 12 Wigeon and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers this evening, after work. A Sandwich Tern was off the seafront along with ten Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Curlew - Duckpond.

 Redshank - Duckpond.

Orcombe Cirl and Mystery Plants

This lone female Cirl Bunting was the highlight on Orcombe, early this morning. Easily located on call but not so easy to see, as it buried itself in the hedge. Additionally - 1 or 2 White Wagtails, c30 Pied Wagtails, small numbers of Meadow Pipit,  2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Snipe, 17 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 4 Great Crested Grebes. Nearby, 4 Purple Sandpipers on Maer rocks. 
The only birds of note off Mudbank were 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 female Pintail and a distant flock of at least fourteen Cattle Egrets, in the same cattle field as yesterday, behind Starcross.

I think there were 2, possibly three, White Wagtails in the Pied Wagtail flock this morning. A devil to photograph in low light, as birds frequently disappeared in the ruts and furrows, and the whole flock frequently spooked. Factor in the loss of feeling in my frozen hands, and a herd of cattle getting in the way, and it's no wonder this photo is so awful.

The nearest I can get with this is Green Hellebore, but not sure it's quite right. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think this might be Early Dog-violet. The sepals are pointed but the spur definitely has a purplish tinge and is straight. Again, any help would be appreciated.

Lots of Crossbill activity at the bottom of east Budleigh Common, including singing and variety of different-pitched 'chupping'.

I enjoyed watching this playful pair of Ravens, sticking together like glue over East Budleigh Common.

Sandwich Tern

My first Sandwich Tern of the year spent some time fishing off Mudbank late morning, ranging widely up and down the lower part of the estuary, but mostly off Starcross whilst I was watching it. Also off there - 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, in display mode, was my highest count of the winter and, as I've mentioned in previous blogs, way down on the flocks of 90+ that used to gather at this time of year, not that many years ago. Also 2 Greenshank, 2 Wigeon and 119 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. A flock of 21 Cattle Egrets was in with cattle, in fields behind Starcross.

Very little on Orcombe first thing but 1 White Wagtail still with c20+ Pied Wagtails. Nearby, on Maer Rocks, 5+ Purple Sandpipers and 8 Turnstones.

Willow/Sallow catkins - West Lodge.

Kitts

At least 40 Kittiwakes are back on ledges at Sandy Bay. Nearby on Orcombe Point, early this morning - 1 Chiffchaff, 1 White Wagtail, 30+ Pied Wagtail, 1 Stonechat, 5 Golden Plovers (over west) and a handful of Meadow Pipits on the move.

On Maer Rocks - 6 Purple Sandpipers, 8 Turnstones and 64 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Off Mudbank - 6 Red-breasted Mergansers.

Three-cornered Garlic - I found a patch of this along Gipsy Lane. Another new one for me.

White Wag

A White Wagtail was with around a dozen Pied Wagtails on Orcombe, first thing this morning. One or two Golden Plovers were knocking around, and small numbers of Meadow Pipit, a Goldcrest and Stonechat were all possibly migrants.

Barren Strawberry

Pleased to find my first Barren Strawberry late this afternoon - growing low down in a hedge and not at all obvious.

This local male Cirl Bunting is suitably camouflaged in its winter hedge.