Big Day Tomorrow: PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!

Its the night before my first "Big Day" in several years...trying to see as many birds as possible in one day!
I will keep facebook updated of my progress, but please place your bets on the number of species we can track down!

Dad and I will be getting up at 3am with an aim to be on Dartmoor for 4am to hear that Snipe drumming at Warren House, and hopefully tick off Grasshopper Warbler, Cuckoo (my first of the year hopefully!) and hope for the possibility of Red Grouse, if there are any left up at Headland Warren these days (its been a while).

The sandwiches are made and I've been to the Co-op and stocked up on cereal bars and fruit - its a long day and we'll need plenty of energy to keep our eyes and ears alert!

The target is somewhere in the region of 125 species - it has been done before (and surpassed!), its what we always aim for on a spring big day (winter big days in January usually struggle to scrape 95 species).

Moving on from Dartmoor, locations usually include Chudleigh Knighton Heath for Woodlark, Nightjar and Dartford Warbler; Stover for woodland birds like Nuthatch, Jay, Marsh Tit etc (Yarner Woods can also be used if this fails, and there you have the possibility of Lesser spotted Woodpecker) and maybe the Grebes if they haven't buggered off again; Slapton Ley usually gets a visit for freshwater and sea birds in one go; then up the coast to Torbay for more sea watching and on to Dawlish where a sea watch from Langstone usually occurs; onto the Exe Estuary where we hope to tick of the Spoonbill which continues to hang around (its nice to get something out of the ordinary on the list) and a quick look for our (almost) guaranteed Little Owl. We will probably pay a visit to Chudleigh quarry for our local Peregrines, and Kestrel and Raven if we haven't already got them down. The day usually finishes with us parked up somewhere on the side of the road listening for Tawny Owl to complete the list. Back home by about 22.30 and back to bed after having binoculars glued to our faces for eighteen and a half hours. Phew.