4 Lifers, loads of miles, Cirl Bunting,+ Pied billed Grebe

Up at 4 o'clock for a long drive to Ham Wall RSPB to see the Pied-billed Grebe.
We get a clear run down & arrive there at 7.30 am We have been here before to see the Long-billed Dowitcher last year, so we know where to go to get the Grebe it's a short walk down to the 2nd viewing point, as we get there other birders already have the bird in view, so it's going to be a quick look at it through the scopes, it's at a distance so no chance of a photo.
As I said a quick tick as Brian has plans to get as many ticks as possible while we are this far from home, what I did not know was the plan to drive another 100 miles to Plymouth in Devon, but in for a penny in for a pound. A good start as this is a lifer for us all.
Being only 7 miles away I talk the boys into looking for the Temminck's Stint as I am the only one of us who needs it for a lifer, we find the right spot in Steart, but it is to big an area for the time we need to reach the other targets, so we don't waste time & give up & head on to the next target.
On to Darts farm Topsham another RSPB site for the American Wigeon.
On arrival I call in to the visitor centre for advice on where to find the bird, the chap in there was very helpful to me, & soon we are picking out the target that was in with many birds, so once again  a good spot by the boys. another lifer for Jimmy & myself, but once again the bird was to far away to get a photo.
 Now a 50 mile drive to Exminster for the reported Rose-coloured Starling, after a quick drive round the area of Milbury Lane, we have no luck so we park up & split up & walk around the roads looking, after a few minutes we get the call from Brian that he has located the bird behind the church, it's a bit of a puff job running up the hill in case we miss it, we get there just in time to see it for a couple of minutes before it drops out of sight, this is only a year tick, but only the second one I have seen.
No time to hang about as we have other birds still to see today.
Of now to Ernsettle Creek, the target this time is the Lesser Yellowleg, & once again Brian is the one to spot it for us, we see a lot of Redshanks,plus 3 Spotted Redshank, 2 Curlew, 1 Greenshank, but over the far side of the creek he picks it out, once again to far away for a picture.It's another lifer for us all.
One last place to go, Broadsands for the highlight of the day for all of us, the bird the boys have always wanted to see, it's the Cirl Bunting, we get lucky as another birder is already looking at them when we arrive, at least 20 keep popping down to feed on some seed that the local birders had put down for them.

We are not disappointed as it turns out to be a cracking little bird..
This was a long way to come, but it was a great day that we all found  it really enjoyable.
A big thanks to Brian as he takes us everywhere & does all the hard work to make sure we see as much as possible, Jimmy & I really appreciate
that.
4 lifers + 1 year tick so well worth the time spent in the car getting to them.

Where we saw the American Wigeon