Rosy Knot-horn

Rosy Knot-horn Oncocera semirubella. I've been hoping to see this lovely species for a long time.

Was hoping for a few more migrant species last night but very pleased with my first Rosy Knot-horn.  The trap also included 53 Portland Ribbon Wave, 3 Hoary Footman, 1 Four-spotted Footman, 7 Rusty Dot Pearl, 1 Angle Shades, 8 Rush Veneer, 2 Light Emerald, 1 Turnip Moth, 1 Centre-barred Sallow, 1 Blair's Mocha, 2 Pale Mottled Willow, 1 Dark Sword-grass, 1 White-point, 1 Spectacle, 1 Toadflax Pug, 3 Dusky Thorn, 1 Early Thorn, 1 Chinese Character, 1 Sycamore and 1 Small Blood-vein amongst the more regular species for this time of year.

Mudbank today - 2 Common Sandpipers, 14 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Turnstone, 7 Common Gulls, 6 Sanderling, 5 Wigeon, 38 adult Mute Swans, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and an Osprey. Across the river - 1 Goshawk and a flock of 22 Cattle Egrets that dropped into Powderham Park. An early evening look off Shelly Beach, on the rising tide, revealed c30+ Sandwich Terns, c100/150+ Common Terns, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 59 Shelduck, 19 Ringed Plovers and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. The 5cy Yellow-legged Gull is still around the recycling centre and at least 4 Yellow Wagtails were still in with cattle along Gore Lane.

Centre-barred Sallow.

Chinese Character.

Y Wags

A flock of at least 40 Yellow Wagtails in with cattle on a scorched Orcombe Point today. Also 1 Redstart, 1 Tree Pipit and 1 Sand Martin seen. Nearby 10 Swifts and 15+ Swallows over Maer Valley.

Mudbank - c65 Common Terns, 5 Wigeon, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 50 Shelduck and an Osprey on a very brief look.

Vestal - one of three disturbed from weedy ground on Orcombe today.

Osprey - Mudbank.

Glossy Ibises

So much luck involved with bird-finding. Was watching Everton vs Brighton with Joel and Matt (Maisie's boyfriend) when I thought I'd have a quick scan from the back garden. This flock of 7 Glossy Ibis was idly circling the river just north of Mudbank. Very little else today although c4/500+ Common Terns were feeding offshore first thing with at least 1 Balearic Shearwater present. Otherwise just 4 Yellow Wagtails below Westdown Beacon on a family walk to Budleigh this morning.

Pintail Back, Whinchat

Juvenile Whinchat - Bystock Meadow.

Orcombe first thing - 2 Yellow Wagtails and my first Siskin of the autumn with at least 38 Balearic Shearwaters and 3 Arctic Skuas offshore, attracted in to a large feeding frenzy of mainly Herring Gulls. Several Common Dolphins also present along with adult and first-winter Yellow-legged Gulls, 135+ Common Terns and 3 Mediterranean Gulls.

Mudbank on the dropping tide- 1 Osprey, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Pintail, 3 Wigeon, c430 Mallard, 10+ Redshank, 1 Knot and 5 Teal.

A quick look at Bystock Meadow produced 1 juvenile Whinchat, and 1 Spotted Flycatcher with several Willow Warblers and Stonechats. Yesterday, a slightly  more leisurely stroll around the reserve produced 1 Redstart, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Firecrests (with 2 more Redstarts and a Wheatear recorded on an afternoon walk with Lu around Woodbury Common).

Yesterday - Orcombe - 16+ Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Willow Warblers, 9 Swallows, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Dunlin and just 1 Whitethroat.

Mudbank - 2 Grey Plovers, c150 Common Terns, 1 Knot, 3 Turnstones, 3 Greenshank, c140 Teal, 1 Wigeon, 1 Osprey and the first returning Pintail.

Adult Mediterranean Gull - Exmouth beach.

Lynmouth Dippers

A family day out today and a trip down memory lane. It was great to show Maisie and Joel round Lynton and Lynmouth, on the north Devon coast, where I lived from the age of four to about nine. Dad was the vicar of Lynton and Lynmouth but his parish included several other churches on the edge of Exmoor. We walked from Lynmouth to Watersmeet (seeing four Dippers en route) in the morning and, following a lovely lunch in Lynton, walked around the Valley of Rocks - a walk we used to do pretty much daily with the dog. We saw the church where Dad worked, the Rectory we used to live in and the primary school I used to attend. We of course went on the famous Cliff Railway and looked around Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall. Very nostalgic!

Dippers very rarely feature on the blog because I so rarely leave Exmouth which is a strictly Dipper-free.

 Juvenile.

Common Terns, Ospreys, GWE

One of two Ospreys off Mudbank first thing this morning. This bird was pursued upriver by Common Terns whilst the regular bird sat on its usual marker post. This afternoon both birds roamed up and down the river together - some sort of bond apparently established.

Common Terns were a big feature of today with a fairly conservative 600+ counted resting on Cockle Sands first thing. Also off Mudbank today - 1 Little Tern, 1 Great White Egret (downriver shortly after 330pm), 2 Ospreys, 9 Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 1 Knot, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Common Sandpipers, 190+ Curlew, c255 Teal, 17 Whimbrel, 4 Dunlin, 4+ Sanderling and 49 Shelduck. 

The 5cy Yellow-legged Gull was seen off Mudbank and on the rugby pitch, and off Shelly Beach - 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Turnstones, c60 Sandwich Terns, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Grey Plovers, 45+ Ringed Plovers and 6 Sanderling. Masses of Common Terns too, including birds heading high south.

Little time spent on Orcombe but 1 Yellow Wagtail and 4 Wheatear recorded.

Common Terns pretty close off Mudbank.

Numbers of Common Terns lifting off Cockle Sands with Lympstone Manor in the background. Just a fraction of the birds present today. Photo taken from Shelly Beach.

Common Terns heading high out to sea past Shelly Beach.

Rosy T, Black T

One of at least 5 Yellow Wagtails on Orcombe.

An uncharacteristically busy day today with some long-awaited rain clearly having the desired effect. The morning started well on Orcombe when a Hobby paused briefly to snatch an insect or two, on the wing, out over the sea before heading east. Few migrant passerines but 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Wheatear, 1 Coal Tit, 5+ Yellow Wagtails and 1 Grey Wagtail were logged, along with a fly-over Ringed Plover, 10+ Swallows,  and a handful of Chiffchaffs. Three or four Arctic Skuas were lingering offshore.

At about  1020 I was chuffed to pick out a beautiful adult Roseate Tern off Shelly Beach. It remained in the estuary, sometimes getting on Bull Hill until at least 1210 and was later picked up, by Lee, in front of the hide at the Warren. At least 185 Common Terns were roosting on Bull Hill along with 35+ Sandwich Terns, 8 Mediterranean Gulls (5 juv/fw), 20 Great Black-backed Gulls and 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The roosting birds were briefly joined by 4 Sanderling and a Ruff. Nearby the 5cy Yellow-legged Gull was again on the rugby pitch and at least 120 Starlings were on rooves along Camperdown Terrace.

Best bird off Mudbank was a juvenile Black Tern over the high tide, having earlier been seen off Shelly Beach by Derek. Also off there today - the Osprey on its favourite perch, 1 Little Tern, 3 Wigeon, 3 Turnstones, c60+ Teal, 4 Greenshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Redshank, 7 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 5 Grey Herons, c30 Little Egrets and 3 Stock Doves.