Whitethroat, Tufties

 Whitethroat - Orcombe Point. It's been a terrible autumn for Whitethroats locally. This is the first one I've seen in well over a month!

Orcombe from 0720 'til 0930 - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Redpoll, c50 Pied Wagtails, 22+ Siskins, 140+ Linnets, 12+ Greenfinches, 120+ Goldfinches, 90+ finch sp, c40 Chaffinches, 9+ Skylarks c180 Meadow Pipits, 1 Whitethroat, c15 Chiffchaffs, 6 Goldcrests, 1 Stonechat, 5 Song Thrushes, 6 Swallows, 7 House Martins, 9+ Blackbirds, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Coal Tit.

Mudbank - 3 Tufted Ducks, c200+ Pintail, 1 Whimbrel, 350+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c260 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 4 Grey Plovers, 23 Ringed Plovers, c50 Teal, 1 Sandwich Tern and a flock of 13 Siskins over. One Goshawk over the other side of the river.

Yesterday - 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese with c300 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 18 Great Crested Grebes. Three Buzzards and an adult Mediterranean Gull in a newly ploughed field on Orcombe.

Goosander

Straight Point with rain after dawn.

Some unexpectedly good, albeit brief, overhead passage on Orcombe this morning. Stuff was moving in a short period between dawn and the arrival of a band of heavy rain passing out to sea. Counts are fairly rough as mixed flocks of pipits and finches came through low and fast together, making counting tricky. Totals - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Goosander, 1+ Redpoll, c60+ Siskins, c35 Pied Wagtails, 6+ Swallows, c60+ Goldfinches, 3 Greenfinches, 2 Curlew, 8+ Chaffinches, c180+ Meadow Pipits and 2 Skylarks. Also 2 Stonechats and 5+ Chiffchaffs logged.
Off Mudbank - Few counts made but 250+ Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Knot, 5 Grey Plovers, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose and 265+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese noted. Best was 4 Golden Plovers that flew through and headed north, upriver.

Yesterday off there - 1 Wheatear, c290 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c200 Black-tailed Godwits,  5 Grey Plovers and a count of c400+ Pintail in far from ideal, windy conditions.

Garganey

Garganey off Mudbank this afternoon.

Mudbank counts on this afternoon's incoming tide included 1 Garganey, c30 Knot, c140+ Teal, 175+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 2 juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits, c220 Shelduck, 42+ Little Egrets, 146+ Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Greenshank, 2 Grey Plovers, 41+ Redshank and the returning Pintail x Wigeon hybrid.

Yesterday - 49 Redshank, 8 Greenshank, 4 Grey Plovers, 8 Dunlin, 35 Black-tailed Godwits, c270+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 1 juv Bar-tailed Godwit.

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harrier west over Orcombe at 0837.

A beautiful morning on Orcombe Point (and a quick look at the top fields this afternoon) with Marsh Harrier, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Firecrest, 1 Ringed Plover, 5 Song Thrushes, 3+ Coal Tits, 4 Swallows, c30 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, 4 Stock Doves, 5 Goldcrests, 27+ Chaffinches, 38+ Siskins, 2 Stonechats, 2 Grey Wagtails, 50+ Pied Wagtails, 280+ Meadow Pipits, 2 Cirl Buntings, 1 Sandwich Tern, c45+ Goldfinches, 8+ Greenfinches, 8+ Skylarks, c70 Linnets, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Curlew and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Mudbank - 36 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Grey Plovers, 2 Greenshank, 17 Redshank, 220+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c190 Pintail, 9+ Teal, 3 Shoveler, 4 Knot, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Dunlin, 15+ Ringed Plovers, 19 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Sandwich Tern and 1 Kingfisher.

This morning's Firecrest.

Kestrel.

Gropper, Merg, Chiffs

I probably under-counted Chiffies this morning. There seemed to be bunches of them in every suitable patch of habitat.

Orcombe Point this morning - 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 30+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Firecrest, 1 Golden Plover, 10+ Siskins, 18 Pied Wagtails, c10/20 Swallows, 60+ Meadow Pipits, 2 Goldcrests, 8+ Wheatears, 4+ Stonechats, c80+ House Martins, 15+ Skylarks and 3 Blackcaps.

Mudbank - 1 female-type Red-breasted Merganser, 208 Shelduck, 119 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Reed Bunting (over), 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Greenshank, 1 Whimbrel,  2 Sanderling,  2 Knot, 4 Turnstones, 15 Redshank, 18 Ringed Plovers, 16 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Teal, 17 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Sandwich Terns and 210+ Oystercatchers.

I really thought I wasn't going to see a Grasshopper Warbler this year so was chuffed when this bird flew up from the base of a hedge and sat nervously in cover for a few seconds.

Lapwings, Casp

1cy Little Gull off Mudbank this afternoon.

Mudbank quite productive again today - 1 fw Caspian Gull on Cockle Sands this morning, then dip-feeding mid-river before flying over towards Starcross. Super-distinctive even at distance and my third this month. Also 1cy Little Gull, 21+ Sandwich Terns, 1 juvenile Common Tern, 1 Osprey, 1 Peregrine, 2 Lapwings (unusual this end of the river), 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 113 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c700+ Wigeon, c180 Pintail, 23 Teal, 1  Shoveler, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, c270 Curlew, 1 Sanderling, 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Knot, 2 Grey Plovers, 3 Turnstones, 2 Greenshank, 17+ Redshank, 208 Shelduck, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Rock Pipit, and 1 Kingfisher. A flock of 17 Cattle Egrets headed towards Cofton over the other side of the river.

Orcombe was quiet first thing with just 2+ Cirl Buntings, 16+ Chiffchaffs, 8+ Skylarks, c50+ Goldfinches, c30/40 Meadow Pipits and 3 Goldcrests logged.

Yesterday off Mudbank - 3 Shoveler of note and on/over Orcombe - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1+ Ringed Plover, 8+ Chaffinches, 16+ Chiffchaffs, 5 Grey Wagtails, c25 Pied Wagtails, 8+ Siskins, 80+ Meadow Pipits and 3 Goldcrests.

An afternoon walk on Woodbury Common, with Joel, produced a flock of c20/30 Crossbills.

Three Shoveler off Mudbank yesterday.

Glossy Sunset

A single Glossy Ibis off Mudbank this evening. The Brent Goose flock numbered 58. Presumably 57 Dark, 1 Pale.