Golden Plovers

Heard calling long before I managed to locate them - 2 Golden Plovers on Orcombe Point this morning. The second, more golden bird pictured below.

Orcombe early on - 2 Golden Plovers (my first of the autumn), 1 Yellow Wagtail, 42+ Pied Wagtails, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Firecrest,  9 Swallows, 3+ Song Thrushes, 1 Blackcap, just 6 Chiffchaffs, the long-staying Cetti's Warbler, c30+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Stonechat, 2 Kestrels, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Grey Wagtail and c30+ Goldfinches. 

Mudbank - 1 drake Mandarin, 1 female Gadwall, 1 drake Shoveler, c185 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 or possibly 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese the only things noted amongst good numbers of the usual stuff. 

 The drake Mandarin was again off Mudbank this afternoon.

GWE

Great White Egret heading east this afternoon. Photographed from the back garden thanks to a message from Lee after it had gone north over the Warren. My first in Exmouth this year and only the twelfth one I've seen in the parish.

Orcombe - 2 Cattle Egrets, 1 Siskin, 5 Stonechats and 12 Chiffchaffs.

Mudbank - 5 Shovelers, 4 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, c135 Redshank, 1 Grey Plover and c185 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. High numbers of Black-tailed Godwits again but I didn't count them.

One of five Shovelers off Mudbank.

One of two Cattle Egrets on Orcombe this afternoon. I scope them regularly across the other side of the river but today's birds are the first I've seen actually within the Exmouth parish boundary this year.

SEO

Poor visibility in mist this morning but Orcombe still produced 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Snipe, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Jay, 4 Song Thrushes, up to 22 Swallows, 1 Stock Dove, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Grey Wagtails and 15+ Chiffchaffs.

Mudbank - good wader numbers included 1 Spotted Redshank, 8 Greenshank, c90 Redshank, c480 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 22 Turnstones, 2 Knot and 3 Grey Plovers. Also off there - 1 Kingfisher, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose still and 152 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Other wildfowl not counted.

Yesterday off Mudbank - c175 Brent Geese, 1 Knot, 68 Redshank and 2 Whimbrel.

Not much on Orcombe but the first Redpoll of the autumn flew west as did 2 Siskins.

Arctic Tern

Mudbank - 1 juvenile Arctic Tern with 4 Sandwich Terns on the dropping tide. Also 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose still with 109 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Little else counted but lots off birds on the estuary including 48 Redshank and c170 Teal. A fly-over Reed Bunting is a good record for Mudbank.

Orcombe was disappointing in benign conditions first thing. Just 3 Grey Wagtails, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 21 alba wagtails, 1 Goldcrest, 7 Chiffchaffs, a singing male Cirl Bunting, 8 Goldfinches, 2 Swallows, 9 Chaffinches and c180 Meadow Pipits.

Orcombe Casp

First-winter Caspian Gull - the 19th I've found in Exmouth but the first I've ever seen on Orcombe Point.

Orcombe from 0705 - 9am - 1 Caspian Gull, 1 Siskin, 300+ Meadow Pipits, just 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Goldcrests, 1 Whitethroat, 10 Ravens, 1 Stonechat, 26+ alba wagtails and 3 Grey Wagtails.

Mudbank - 105 Brent Geese (looked to be all Dark-bellied but suspect the Pale-bellied Brent was hiding amongst them), 2 juvenile Ospreys (one resting on Cockle Sands), 33 Redshank, c115 Black-tailed Godwits and 1 Goshawk over woodland on the opposite side of the river.

Yesterday morning on Orcombe - 1 Jay, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Yellow Wagtail (with tail), 2 Swallows, 14 Chiffchaffs, c90+ Meadow Pipits, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Cirl Bunting, 2 Stonechats, 11 alba wagtails, 3 Grey Wagtails, 17+ Chaffinches, 2 Goldcrests, c4/500+ Linnets, c25 Goldfinches and the singing Cetti's Warbler still.

Davidstow Buff-breasts

Twenty-six years since I last saw a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and I've never photographed one, so I headed up to north Cornwall today.  It was well worth the drive, which took little over an hour, as four juvenile birds showed beautifully. Done the Davidstow airfield way - strictly from the car. A bit of a trip down memory lane as my first ever was a juvenile, also on Davidstow airfield, on September 18th 1992. Next was a juvenile at Abberton reservoir, Essex on September 15th 1996 on a trip with Kev Rylands. Last ones - 2 juveniles on Prawle airfields on September 17th 2000 - found by Pat Mayer if my memory serves me correctly. I've not even tried for one since, which is a bit nuts as they're truly wonderful waders!

Three juveniles together. A fourth bird was watched on its own (single photo below) prior to seeing this trio which were with a group of c10 Ringed Plovers.

First bird seen on its own.

Ringed Plovers...

Mandarin!

A morning stroll 'round the block' with Lu was greatly enlivened with my first ever (probably overdue but entirely anticipated) Exmouth Mandarin - a drake in with Mallards off Mudbank over the high tide. A quick count of a few other species revealed 72 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 23 Great Crested Grebes, 38 Redshank, 1 Turnstone and 19 Black-tailed Godwits.

Only two fields covered on Orcombe but 1 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Swallows and a flock of 7 Ravens were logged. The Linnet flock still estimated to be c4/500 birds and a few grounded Meadow Pipits.

Getting a bit late for Whitethroats now. This one was feeding in weeds at the base of a hedge.