Sandwich Terns, Manxies

Sandwich Tern off Mudbank (looking north towards Exeter). One of at least 32 off there today.

Pretty quiet in this neck of the woods still. Orcombe Point first thing - My first 6 Manx Shearwaters of the year (east), 3 Sandwich Terns, 11+ Common Scoters, 1 Blackcap, 5+ Chiffchaffs, 5 Mallard and 2 Shelduck. Off Mudbank - 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 7 Pale-Bellied Brent Geese, 2 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c30 Black-headed Gulls (east), 3 Great Crested Grebes and 32+ Sandwich Terns. A Willow Warbler was singing at the back of our garden throughout the morning..

30/3 - Orcombe Point - 10+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Blackcap, 3 Curlew (high east), 3 Meadow Pipits, 1 Little Egret (east), 1 Cirl Bunting (high west), 2 Sandwich Terns, 2 Mallards, 2 Shelducks and 2 Peregrines.

29/3 - Orcombe Point - 6 Common Scoters, 1 Sandwich Tern, 11 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, c25 Linnets and 1 Siskin.

Sandwich Tern off the Imperial rec - 28/3.

Willow Warbler - Orcombe Point 29/3.

Early G-w Orchids

The first Green-winged Orchid spikes are now appearing on Orcombe Point.

No evidence of any new migrants on Orcombe this afternoon. Probably too late in the day. Off Mudbank - 9 Red-breasted Mergansers.

Yesterday off there - 12 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Greenshank and c60 Turnstones.

Late news for the 23rd on Orcombe Point - 10+ Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler. Some overhead movement included 9 Meadow Pipits, 17 Woodpigeons, 24+ Linnets and 5 Stock Doves.

Knot - Mudbank.

 

Sandwich Tern, WW

Female Wheatear - Orcombe Point.

My first Sandwich Tern of the year flew past Orcombe Point early on and my first Willow Warbler was singing very softly from the hedgerow bordering the dung heap. Also today - a female Wheatear, 9+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Shelduck, 9 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 4 Common Scoters, 1 Blackcap and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Off the seafront - 1 Eider and c90 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Reed Bunting

A migrant Reed Bunting on Orcombe Point late this afternoon - hiding pretty effectively in hedgerow next to the dung heap. Also - a female Wheatear, 4+ Chiffchaffs, a male Stonechat and c10/15+ Meadow Pipits.

Off Mudbank - c90 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 5 Red-breasted Mergansers.

Yesterday afternoon on Orcombe - a male Wheatear and a pair of Cirl Buntings. Seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese were off Mudbank.

On the 19th, Mudbank counts included 13 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, c100 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 Greenshank, 26 Shelducks and 10 Redshank. a flock of 32 Cattle Egrets flew from north of Starcross to somewhere in the Cockwood/Cofton area.

A pair of Cirl Buntings on Orcombe Point. Surely a good chance they'll breed up there this year?

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Mudbank. One of seven yesterday. Two off there late this afternoon and 13 off there on Monday.

Male Wheatear on the dung heap yesterday. There was a female there this afternoon.

Wheatear

My first Wheatear of the year was on a foggy Orcombe Point first thing this morning. Also - a small fall of Chiffchaffs totaling at least 7 birds, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Meadow Pipit and c50 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Two Ring-necked Parakeets were flying around over the top fields. Off Mudbank - 2 Greenshank and 76 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Yesterday on Orcombe Point - 6 Chiffchaffs, 58 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Cirl Bunting, 1 Siskin over, 1 Firecrest, 5 drake Mallards and 2 Shelducks. Off Mudbank - 56 Turnstones, 81 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Greenshank and 66+ Carrion Crows.

Male Ring-necked Parakeet outside a potential nest hole on Maer Lane yesterday. Two birds were flying noisily around the top fields this morning.

Little Bunting

A big thank you to Tom who drove us down to Broadsands, in his very lovely EV, for this delightful Little Bunting. As good as a new bird for me as the last one I saw was at Slapton Ley on April 2nd 1989, way back when I was still just a spotty teenager! In the intervening thirty-five years I've resisted the urge to twitch a number of relatively close birds, in favour of trying to find my own. Well that strategy so far hasn't worked, but I remain hopeful. Many thanks to Mike for picking this bird up. All that seed eventually paid off!

Waxwing

A quick post-work trip to Cranbrook for this gorgeous Waxwing. This is my first in twelve years (so the first time this species has featured on this blog) and was barely twelve miles outside the Exmouth boundary. Too close to resist and very much appreciated.