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Exeter Airport

Few clouds
Temperature: -1 °C
Wind: North-Northeast, 3.5 mph
Pressure: 1024 hPa
Rel. Humidity: 93%
Visibility: 5 miles

Reported on:
Fri, 12/03/2010 - 01:50

Weather and Tide Links

Rail and Jack Snipe on the Otter Estuary

9 January 2010

Chris Townend photographed two interesting visitors on the Otter Estuary on 9 January. A scarce Devon visitor was a Jack Snipe and Chris managed to get two very good photographs.

The second was a very unusual photographic record of a Water Rail drowning a Meadow Pipit and then eating it.

jack snipe on Otter Estuary - 9 January 2010 - Chris Townend

Chris added, "Today I was lucky enough to find a Jack Snipe on the patch, but whilst watching it I witnessed a Water Rail drown a 'mippit' and then devour it! I am really pleased with the shots, particularly the Jack Snipe photo as he was showing very well."

water rail eating a meadow pipit - 9 January 2010 - Chris Townend

Mike Langman, County Recorder added, "A really interesting story from Chris Townend from the Otter Estuary.

The Jack Snipe is a 'quite scarce' visitor to Devon and it is even rarer to get a great photo!

The Water Rail, drowning and then eating a Meadow Pipit, is a rare sequence of shots and Chris was very fortunate to catch the event and photograph it so well under difficult circumstances."