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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Matt Prince" data-source="post: 1992087" data-attributes="member: 52862">Weekend 27th/28th NovemberA slow start was the last thing we needed today, as we had heard that the Hawfinch near Ide were often gone after a certain time. It was freezing cold and a large amount of frost had to be cleared off the car before we could start. The salted roads as far as Ide (were we saw Hawfinch Adams driving away from the site - doh! - were we too late already?)  were not too bad, nor fortunately were the backroads to the site itself - initially we were the only people there and as we scanned the trees without joy, we began to realise we were underdressed - despite hats and gloves and fleeces.Another birder pulled up and we gave him the bad news just as a chunky finch landed in a tree on the far side of the field with a tell tale flash of white - yep the Hawfinch had landed. Just the one bird and clearly agitated, flicking its tail from side to side, it was nice and obvious for a few moments, then it moved a couple of twigs back, and all but disappeared from the naked eye, and even casual binocular attention - only in the scope was it apparent, still agitated flicking its tail. We watched it for a few minutes before it shot off to the right, just as other birders started to turn up. We gave it another ten minutes or so, before wishing peeps good luck and moving off.As it was our 11th wedding anniversary I offered to treat Nicola to a Little Chef breakfast, driving cautiously up the hill (stopping to help a lad who had parked his vauxhall van in a hedge - fortunately a gent in a genuine landy turned up and helped extract him) we scoffed a big breakfast each, which helped warm us up - not that the temperature was particularly welcoming even inside the cafe!Then it was down to the Warren to look for one of the more embarrassing omissions from my list - common eider. We bumped into Ivan who was just leaving, who confirmed that there were eider down with an excellent array of scoter just off the warren point. On hearing that I'd taken Nicola to the Little Thief as an anniversay treat I could tell he was visibly impressed, he drove off laughing, though that might have been because I still needed Eider.Anyway we trudged across the short distance from the top secret free parking (shhhh) to the Sea Wall across a horribly bitter wind (worse than many an Antarctic gale, but not as bad as a Norfolk winter beach or that one time in Berks when my eyeballs started to freeze). Crouching behind the lifeguard hut, the sea was empty except for off the point (which meant I had to poke my head round into the freezing gale - great). I could see a flock of scoter, some of which were probably velvet, and some paler objects which might have been eider (what with the range, the wind, and the shaking) , but were almost certainly herring gulls. Facing a long trudge into the wind along the point on my own (Nicola having made her feelings on the matter quite clear) we wimped out totally and decided to drive clean across to the other side!Several miles and a couple of slices of mars bar cake later (very nice) us hardcore birders parked up on Exmouth sea front, fortunately the birdies were still there. A very nice mixed flock including many chunky velvet scoter, a lot of common, that single stray Surf (for once not at astronomical distance) the aforementioned herring gulls and a group of Eider. Nice.After that we had a quick troll around various places for waxwing - including Exeter services and several suitable trees around Exeter itself, but to no avail.Sunday was spent out of county, looking for books at a very quite Portland Obs, and watching the wildlife from behind glass at Radipole with a coffee in my hands. Getting soft...Sites: Near Ide, Dawlish Warren, Exmouth, Exeter ServicesSpecies : Hawfinch, Common EiderBirds 197GT 1635</blockquote>

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