I found a White Wagtail today!

The Devonshire sun rose behind a blanket thick cloud that had previously been filled with rain. The morning also found me not searching bushes down at Dawlish Warren but flitting between my bed and my nearby computer. I just couldn't motivate myself enough to settle down and complete my by now overdue RSPB Birds magazine article on my recent visit to Top Lodge in Northants.

After a posh breakfast at the hotel I was staying in, St Olaves Hotel (www.olaves.co.uk in case you want to check it out) I strolled through the streets of Exeter to the local RSPB office. I met up with Tony Whitehead the RSPB Public Affairs Officer and Claire Thomas the tourism officer. We all checked out a nearby Peregrine perched on the cathedral before Tony & I went 'green' and took a train to nearby Topsham to visit Bowling Green Marsh. We picked up an Osprey, Swallows, Sand & House Martins, over 120 Black-tailed Godwits, at least 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, a gorgeous Little Gull and I found a male White Wagtail.

We decided to nip down quaint Topsham's High Street, replete with a retro butchers shop and an ultra-tidy greengrocers, to grab tea and scones. Unbelievably, I bumped into an ex-boss of mine in the street from my magazine publishing days whom I haven't seen for coming on 14 years!

I left Exeter at around 3.30pm. I decided to forgo visiting a nearby site for Cirl Bunting and Woodlark and instead journeyed into neighbouring Somerset to call in on Stephen Moss and his family. Stephen of course, used to be Bill Oddie's producer and apart from knocking out the odd book or three, he produces/directs some of The One Show stuff that I do.

I got home a tired fella at around 9pm