Black Brant

Oystercatcher off the 'Imperial'.

 

Nick and I did a quick scoot around Orcombe at first light, before a morning watching our sons playing football. The birding was a bit better than expected but there was nothing to get the pulse racing. Totals included 5+ pied wagtail, 1+ grey wagtail, 2+ redwing, 1+ goldcrest, c30+ goldfinch, c20+ meadow pipit, 5+ reed bunting, 6+ song thrush, 3 skylark, 10 stock dove, c900+ woodpigeon, c150+ starling and a lone oystercatcher. A quick stop at the Maer long-stay car park produced a chiffchaff and a water rail. Exmouth has successfully maintained its 'yellow-browed warbler exclusion zone' status!

This afternoon I had a look off Mudbank and the Imperial Rugby Ground and managed to pick up an adult black brant with a small group of dark-bellied brents. It seems to be the full ticket, with a complete white neck 'web' and a peculiarly angular-shaped head. It is presumably the returning bird from last winter. I would have liked a better look at it but a girl with a dog walked straight towards it (I thought it was pretty obvious I was trying to photograph it) and flushed it much further out on to the river. There was an adult pale-bellied brent goose off Exmouth Docks midweek.

 



Red-breasted Merganser off the 'Imperial'.

 

Little Egret - Imperial.

 

Adult Black Brant (second from left) off the Imperial Rugby Ground @ 1530.