Lesser Crested Tern!

The bird seemed to like this distant buoy. In all the time I was scoping it, it left once and did two laps of the 'bite', catching a fish on it's second round  but too distant and often out of sight to be sure of the rump colour.

Returned home from work, late afternoon, to messages about a Royal/West African Crested Tern off Cockwood. Initially seen from the Stuart Line boat and almost certainly the bird that was on the Axe a couple days ago. I shot down to Shelly Beach and soon picked it up, sat on a buoy, way off somewhere between Cockwood and the Warren. The light wasn't great but it didn't look too much like the chunky Royals I was watching in the summer. It wasn't too big a surprise then (though I'm certainly not suggesting I could have positively id'd it from that distance) to see that it's been reidentified as Lesser Crested Tern - a brand new bird for me! Hope it sticks around...

Sketch of the bird sat on it's chosen buoy. Remarkably this is the second record for the lower Exe. The first was before I did my very first twitch (the 1986 Berry Head Gyr) in 1985 I believe.

Purple Sands

Male Cirl Bunting - Imperial recreation ground.

Two Purple Sandpipers with four Turnstones on Maer Rocks first thing this morning. A Red-throated Diver and 3 Shelduck headed into the bay.

Mudbank - 5 Greenshank, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 3+ Chiffchaffs and 2 or 3 Firecrests. Nearby the Whimbrel still in the Duckpond and the pair of Cirl Buntings on the Imperial recreation ground with at least 2 Meadow Pipits.

West Lodge - c5+ Redwings, c30+ Siskins, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Stonechat and 1 Sparrowhawk.

30/11 - Madeira Walk - 2 Firecrests and 2 Chiffchaffs. Mudbank - 1 Cetti's Warbler, 4+ Chiffchaffs and 2 Firecrests.

Stonechat - West Lodge.

 The Whimbrel continues to show well in the Duckpond.

Reed Bunt, Sibe Chiff

This fine male Reed Bunting was with a pair of Cirl Buntings on the Imperial rec this morning. Also there - 1 Meadow Pipit and 1 Chiffchaff. A Firecrest was again in willows at West Lodge.

The presumed Wigeon x Gadwall hybrid was in Duckpond this morning.

Siberian Chiffchaff - Mudbank. With 4 Chiffchaffs in the big willow this morning. The classic weak 'fee' call heard just once.

 Adult and juvenile Dark-bellied Brent Geese - the 'Gut'.

Sibe Chiff

A Siberian Chiffchaff was along Madeira walk today. Also along there - several Goldcrests, at least 2 Firecrests and 4+ Chiffchaffs. The wintering Whimbrel is still showing very well in Duckpond and a Cetti's Warbler was along the cycle path between Mudbank and West Lodge. A male Stonechat was the only bird of note in the West Lodge reedbed.

Firecrest - Madeira Walk.

The wintering Whimbrel.

Short Catch-up

Firecrest - West Lodge.

Very little to report. A short sea-watch from the raised beach huts, first thing, produced 3 Red-throated Divers, 5 Great Northern Divers, 4 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Common Scoters, 1 Great Crested Grebe and an adult Mediterranean Gull. Otherwise at least 1 Firecrest and 2 Chiffchaffs at West Lodge.

Yesterday - the Whimbrel still in Duckpond and a Stonechat still on the Imperial recreation ground. Three Chiffchaffs were in scrub along Mudbank and a Firecrest was at West Lodge.

18/11 - Orcombe - 1 Golden Plover, c350 Woodpigeons, 14+ Skylarks, 1 Turnstone, 8 Goldcrests, 5 Chiffchaffs, 16+ Chaffinches and a pair of Cirl Buntings.

Little Egret - Maer Rocks 18/11/25.

Goosanders

Goosanders - Mudbank. Barely annual in Exmouth but this trio follows a single bird west past Orcombe on October 5th.

A little bit of movement on Orcombe this morning with c700+ Woodpigeons east, 10 Chaffinches, 1 Little Egret and 1 Lapwing logged. Also - c35 Pied Wagtails, 215+ Starlings, 5 Chiffchaffs, 10 Goldcrests, 2 Stock Doves, 1+ Stonechat, 1 Snipe, 4 Song Thrushes and c10+ Meadow Pipits.

The Yellow-browed Warbler called just once but clearly in scrub at Mudbank and also seen - c6+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest, several Goldcrests and 1 Blackcap. Off there - 3 Goosanders (two females and an immature male), 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, c20 Ringed Plovers, 20 Grey Plovers, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 22 Great Crested Grebes and c150 Redshank.

A lone Lapwing heading over Orcombe this morning.

A flock of Starlings heading towards a cattle herd below Bond's Farm. I counted 215 in five flocks in total but estimate c300+ were present in the final gathering.

Spot Red

Orcombe from dawn - 1 Snipe, 2 Cirl Buntings, 1 Firecrest, 16 Blackbirds, 5 Song Thrushes, c55 Chaffinches, 7 Goldcrests, 11+ Greenfinches, 1 Rock Pipit, c10/20+ Meadow Pipits, c55 Starlings, 1+ Siskin, 6 Chiffchaffs and 2 Curlew.

Mudbank - 1 Yellow-browed Warbler still, 6+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 25 Knot, 1 Shoveler,  33+ Great Crested Grebes, 1 Spotted Redshank, c120 Redshank, 8 Greenshank, 9+ Grey Plover and 11 Teal. Nearby - 1 Cirl Bunting and 1 Stonechat on the Imperial rec, the Whimbrel in Duckpond and a Black Redstart in the 'Gut'. A Firecrest was along Madeira Walk.

Spotted Redshank - Mudbank.

Whimbrel - Duckpond.

Blackbird - Imperal rec.