THE annual bird-watching jaunt of the Exmouth and Bystock group of the Devon Wildlife Trust attracted a bumper crowd, despite the near-freezing conditions, who spotted a rare long-tailed duck

THE annual bird-watching jaunt of the Exmouth and Bystock group of the Devon Wildlife Trust attracted a bumper crowd, despite the near-freezing conditions, who spotted a rare long-tailed duck

A total of 34 adults and six children, for who a specially lowered telescope was provided, were led by Roger and Liz Hamling, whose expert knowledge kept the bird watchers enthralled.

A spokesperson for the group said: “The only disappointment was that many of our more interesting estuary birds had clearly decided that it was far too cold to get out of bed, although we did manage very good, if distant, sightings of a long-tailed duck, which is very rare indeed - there are only two known to be in Devon at present, and barely half a dozen in the whole country.

“Despite the lack of birds, we greatly enjoyed a pleasant and convivial morning, and are already looking forward to next year’s event.”