Five Egyptian Geese flew east past Orcombe Point early this morning. This is only my third Exmouth record following a single bird, south past Orcombe on 26/1/17 and a flock of 7, off Mudbank on 27/10/17.
A look off Maer Rocks, shortly after dawn, produced 5 Egyptian Geese, 1 Great Northern Diver, 2 Turnstones and 1+ Great Crested Grebe.
A female Goldeneye was in the Duckpond, and off Mudbank - 77 Shelduck and the juvenile Spoonbill. Really good to catch up with Libby today.
Off Shelly Beach - 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 37 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose. A flock off 55+ Cattle Egrets was picked up flying upriver, over Starcross.
At least 2 Jays were at the top end of Bystock this afternoon. Also recorded - 1 Firecrest, 4 Goldcrests, 1 Treecreeper, 2 Redwings, several Coal Tits, 1 Redpoll and 2 Nuthatches.
Red-breasted Mergansers - Shelly Beach.
Nice one Matt - I am guessing that 4 of your five birds were the birds I saw on the Otter yesterday evening.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris - presumably, but Mark had five fly over Powderham yesterday, 'picking up' two more birds, so not sure what's going on. Perhaps the flock has wonderlust at the moment?! A good bird for me here in Exmouth, and presumably for you in Budleigh too! All the best. Matt
ReplyDeleteYep, definitely a good bird here. I only saw my first EG for the patch in early December 2021. It was a single bird, but Dave W had seen 5 birds at the end of October whilst I was on Scilly. The plot thickens!
ReplyDeleteHope to see you out locally soon....
PS - Love your new header photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! Didn't realise EG was as scarce as that on the Otter. Perhaps the recent birds are prospecting the new development. Cheers. Matt
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Matt! Lovely shot of the mergansers. Egyptian Geese are very much like Ring-necked Parakeets here- everywhere! It's amazing how much they've increased in the last decade or so. I remember it being a bird to look for on visits to Rutland Water or north Norfolk. Now every lake has them, sometimes in abundance.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you too Neil! I think they're pretty much a permanent fixture at the north end of the river, but still very much a scarcity in Exmouth so a little bit exciting! All the best. Matt
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