Coot!!!(and Black Tern)

My first ever Coot in Exmouth was a sight for sore eyes in the early morning gloom. So chuffed! To put it in some sort of context I've seen Northern Mockingbird, Collared Flycatcher, 2 Caspian Terns, Ross's Gull, 2 Laughing Gulls, 3 Bonaparte's Gulls, Tawny Pipit, 2 Red-throated Pipits, Falcated Duck, Gull-billed Tern and Sardinian Warbler in Exmouth, all before Coot!

The quality birding in Exmouth continues - today's star bird a Coot, closely followed by my first Black Tern (a juvenile) since August 2019, 85+ Common Terns, 200+ Wigeon, 65 Pintail, 13 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3+ Sandwich Tern, 1 Snow Goose, 3 Teal, 4 Redshank, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 6 Ringed Plovers, 2 Greenshank, 3 Whimbrel, 3 Grey Heron and an Osprey that flew upriver at 0955. Nearby on Orcombe Point - 3+ Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 or 2 Redstarts, 6+ Wheatear, 35+ Yellow Wagtails, 3 Whitethroats, 1+ Tree Pipit, 3 Blackcaps, 4 Whinchats, c15 House Martins, c40/50+ Swallows, a late Swift and a Willow Warbler.

One of four Whinchats in the turnip field on Orcombe today.

At last a Tree Pipit that posed for a photo! Most others have been fly-overs this autumn.

There are still at least 35 Yellow Wagtails on Orcombe - this particularly pale one was very smart.

Snow Goose - Mudbank.