The weekend started early with a spoonbill at Exminster on Friday

A drake Garganey stayed briefly on Saturday with up to three hobby over the marshes. A Lesser whitethroat was singing in the RSPB Exminster car park in the morning, also red kite and marsh harrier were reported over Topsham during the day.

The Lesser whitethroat stayed in to Sunday with cuckoo the highlight of our dawn chorus guided walk. The first Wood Sandpiper of the spring stopped over on one of our new scrapes created last autumn by the path to the Turf Hotel.

Today saw the spoonbill again on Exminster and more great hobby sightings -  hobby feed up on the marshes prior to breeding nearby, it is no coincidence the first Hairy Dragonfly and Broad-bodied Chaser were on the wing this morning.

Cirl Buntings continue to sing in the Powderham marshes

Copyright A.J.Bellamy