YBW and Merlin

Nick and I wandered around Orcombe for the first couple hours of daylight. A bit of overhead movement included 3500+ Woodpigeon (all west) c25+ Pied Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, 1 Curlew, 1 Little Egret, 10+ Siskin, 3 Redpoll, c20+ Goldfinch, 12+ Chaffinch, 10 Jackdaw, 2 Stock Dove, 2+ Reed Bunting and a Yellowhammer. Also 1+ Bullfinch, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 5+ Song Thrush, 4+ Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Turnstone and small numbers of Linnet, Skylark and Meadow Pipit.

I popped back up to Orcombe mid-afternoon and saw nothing extra apart from a Merlin which shot into an ash tree above me as I walked up Gore Lane.

Off Mudbank this afternoon - 110+ Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 2 Dunlin, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Kingfisher, 14 Great Crested Grebe and 6 Red-breasted Merganser. Just as the sun was setting I decided to have a quick look at the Warren View sallows just behind our house. A Yellow-browed Warbler called once, then after a few minutes a couple times more before popping up in to view and promptly disappearing again. It was with a Chiffchaff and will presumably roost in the immediate area tonight.

Yesterday I spent a few minutes from dawn counting stuff from the back garden, before a football match with Joel out at Hemyock. Jackdaws were the most notable species with c350+ moving south west with a few relatively small flocks of Woodpigeon. Four Song Thrush, 1+ Siskin and an adult Mediterranean Gull were also logged.

Off Mudbank later on I had my largest ever Exmouth count of Black-tailed Godwit - 155 in total. Also 2 Greenshank and 12 Red-breasted Merganser.

A last minute decision to search the scrub bordering the playing fields at the back of our house, just before dark,  paid off with this brief Yellow-browed Warbler. My first of the autumn.

 

Very much a record shot of a Merlin but they're not even annual for me here in Exmouth, so each one is a bit special. I'd love to have had a proper look at it but it spent just a second or two in the tree before flying off.

Kestrel soaking up the early morning sun.

Coal Tit photographed from the back garden.

 

Common Darter - a few of these around Orcombe this afternoon. Also several Red Admirals and 3 Clouded Yellows (including a 'helice').

 

 

Jackdaws passing over the house early yesterday morning.