I saw a bird at the Otter estuary on 27th January and the only possible match I can find is a female whinchat - is this a possibility as one book has it as a summer visitor. I got a good look at it: it had a definite white brow and collar, light russet breast, black eyes and bill, dark legs, dark markings on its back and was slighter than a sparrow, for example.
Without a photo, hard to confirm. The area could host the odd over Wintering bird species. Whinchats aren't known to over Winter and certainly aren't one of the species that return early. Far more likely a stonechat.