Manxie

My first Manx Shearwater of the year was lingering off Orcombe Point first light this morning. Feeding in amongst some auks, it soon headed off east. Also seen during a very short watch - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Red-throated Divers, 48 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Fulmar along with numbers of  auks, Kittiwakes and a couple Gannets. Orcombe Point was pretty much bird-less with just 1 Chiffchaff, 6 Snipe and c15 Meadow Pipits logged. A quick look off Mudbank mid-afternoon produced 40 Common Gulls. A male Blackcap was in scrub beside the railway line.

Yesterday - Orcombe Point - 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose with c50 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Also - 2 Canada Geese over and 3 Chiffchaffs. Off the seafront - 4 Eider, 3 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver, 8+ Great Crested Grebes and a small group of Common Dolphins.

Mudbank counts - c370 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c75 Turnstones, 9 Ringed Plovers, 4 Wigeon, 32 Redshank, c105 Curlew, 2 Greenshank, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, c55 Grey Plovers and c25 Knot. Nearby off Shelly Beach - 1 Great Northern Diver and 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Catch-up

Spotted Redshank - LORP

Lu and I had a walk around the Lower Otter this afternoon. The beautiful weather tempting us beyond Exmouth's confines and towards a change of scenery. Highlights were Spotted Redshank, Water Rail and Common Sandpiper. Withycombe Raleigh Common - 2 Dartford Warblers.

3/3 - Bystock - a pair of Moorhens and 1 Peregrine.

1/3 - Mudbank - 10 Red-breasted Mergansers, 22 Pintail and a Goshawk scoped across the other side of the river. Orcombe Point - 6 Chiffchaffs, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Reed Buntings, c20+ Chaffinches, 1 Snipe and 1 Jay. Shelly Beach - 1 Great Northern Diver.

28/2 - 8 Ring-necked Parakeets beside the Maer carpark just after dawn. Mudbank - 1 fw Mediterranean Gull and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers. Orcombe Point - 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Cirl Buntings, 4 Rock Pipits, c20/30 Chaffinches, 1+ Reed Bunting and c180 Kittiwakes on Straight Point ledges.

Water Rail

Common Sandpiper

Peregrine - Orcombe Point.

Male Cirl Bunting - Orcombe Point 28/2. Female below.

Roe Deer - Orcombe Point.

Yellowhammers

Yellowhammers are back and singing on their Exmouth territories after a long winter absence.

Pochard pair - Bowling Green. Drake Scaup below.

More RTDs

Another blowy morning so another dawn look at the sea. A seventy minute vigil produced 60 Red-throated Divers (all west), a probable Black-throated Diver, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Shelduck, 2 Fulmars east, at least 14 Common Scoters (14 west, 4 east) 45 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and at least 1 Great Crested Grebe. 

Off Mudbank - a Red-throated Diver was only my second record off there. Additionally - c375 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a 2w Mediterranean Gull, 2 Knot and 10 Wigeon.     

RTDs

Great Crested Grebe - Mudbank.

A bit windy this morning. A thirty minute look off Maer Rocks produced 31 Red-throated Divers west along with a single Common Scoter. Otherwise a few Kittiwakes Gannets and auks.

19/2 - a single female Cirl Bunting on the Imperial recreation ground and 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls off Mudbank.

18/2 - Mudbank - 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Greenshank and 1 Mediterranean Gull. On Orcombe Point - a brief afternoon look revealed c3/400+ Jackdaws and a Chiffchaff. A party of four Stonechats were presumably early migrants unless they've been keeping their heads down all winter.

17/2 - 14+ Red-throated Divers west past Orcombe Point early on and c200+ Dunlin east. On farmland near the sewage works - 3 Reed Buntings, c20/30+ Chaffinches and c25+ Stock Doves.

A Great Northern Diver and single Pale-bellied Brent Goose were off Shelly Beach and off Mudbank - c40 Wigeon, c70 Redshank, c50 Turnstones, 19 Ringed Plovers, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Mediterranean Gull and the Cetti's Warbler.

Mediterranean Gull (top left) with Black-headed Gulls - Mudbank.

18/2 - The Russian White-fronted Goose just about showed, albeit briefly and very distantly. A walk from Countess Wear produced the usual assortment of stuff including 9+ Cetti's Warblers, c20 Coot, 5+ Tufted Ducks, 1 Rock Pipit (Turf), 1 female Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebes and at least 1 Marsh Harrier. The tide was high so no LBD though no doubt it would have returned on the receding tide.

Velvet Scoters

Reed Bunting - one of at least three in the field next to the sewage treatment works, recently vacated (and rather messed up) by South West Water. With them a flock of c40/50+ Chaffinches and c30/40+ Linnets. 

A very brief look at the sea this morning was rewarded with 2 Velvet Scoters and 5 Common Scoters. The Velvets were picked up on the sea off Orcombe Point shortly after 8am, just before they took off heading east. A mid-afternoon stroll around Orcombe farmland produced c40/50+ Chaffinches, 30/40+ Linnets, 3+ Reed Buntings and 1 Chiffchaff. A raft of c120 Kittiwakes was off Straight Point.

Yesterday - at least 8 Red-throated Divers past Orcombe Point early on and the 4 Eiders off the seafront. One Great Northern Diver off  Shelly Beach. 

Common Gulls, Goldeneyes

A sense of relief to see the male and female Goldeneye off Mudbank late this afternoon. Sadly my first sighting this year. They drifted this side of Cockle Sands but were never close.

Yesterday I counted 350+ Common Gulls before dark, the majority roosting off West Lodge. With them - 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls. Mudbank counts included c400 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Red-breasted Mergansers, 20 Great Crested Grebes, c60 Redshank, 12 Pintail, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits, 49 Grey Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, c35 Knot, 16 Wigeon and 3 Greenshank.

Off the seafront - 23+ Great Crested Grebes and 4 Eider.