Mistle Thrush

A stroll on Orcombe, after work and between showers, produced Mistle Thrush, 1 Swallow and a Snipe. More than I was expecting to be honest.
The Yellow-legged Gull was on the skips, in the council depot behind the Imperial rugby ground and off Mudbank - 12+ Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 45 Pintail, 1 Teal, 17+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 9+ Black-tailed Godwits and c100 Dunlin alongside the usual numbers of Wigeon, Canada Geese and Brent Geese.

Resident YLG

The long-staying first-winter Yellow-legged Gull was off Mudbank and then on the Imperial rugby ground this evening. Below is a photo of what I'm pretty certain is the same bird that first turned up in Exmouth on August 18th of this year. Photo below taken on its second day - August 19th.

A wet evening with the following species seen off Mudbank - 65 Dunlin, 4 Redshank, c60 Turnstones, 1 Grey Plover, 2 Greenshank, 12+ Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Bar-tailed Godwits, 74+ Teal, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and the first-winter Yellow-legged Gull which relocated to the Imperial rugby ground. Also 180+ Starlings on rooves in the Camperdown terrace area.

Second-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.

First-winter Great Black-backed Gull.

 Pied Wagtail.

Overhead Stuff

Plenty of Woodpigeon movement this morning. All birds north-west as per usual. 

Much more moving this morning. Counts between 0720 and 1045 included 1500+ Woodpigeons, 12+ Stock Doves, c180 Jackdaws, 18+ Chaffinches, 10+ Siskins, 3 Swallows, 1 Yellowhammer, 1 Bullfinch, 6 Reed Buntings, 1 Curlew, 14 Jays, 2+ Redpolls, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Rook, 65+ Pied Wagtails, 90+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Mistle Thrush and 6 Starlings. Also noted - 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 20 Blackbirds, 10 Song Thrushes, c60+ Linnets, 3 Stonechats, 27+ Goldfinches, 3 Turnstones, 4+ Chiffchaffs, 3 Goldcrests, 3 Red-legged Partridges and 20+ Skylarks.

Off Mudbank - 3 Greenshanks, 5+ Mediterranean Gulls, 14 Dunlins, 1 Kingfisher, 18+ Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 4 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 70+ Shelducks and the usual high numbers of Brent Geese and Wigeon. In the scrub there - 2 or 3 Chiffchaffs and my first Firecrest of the autumn.

Jackdaws - c180 headed north-west this morning.

Female Chaffinch - Orcombe Point - an unusually confiding bird.

Mediterranean Gull - Mudbank - one of at least five this afternoon.

Thrushes

Windless, grey and pretty foggy on Orcombe first thing. Thrushes featured with 11 Redwings, 11+ Song Thrushes and 22+ Blackbirds lurking in the hedges. Also noted - several Robins, 30+ Meadow Pipits, 13 Chiffchaffs, 32 Pied Wagtails, 40+ Linnets, 7+ Chaffinches, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Jays, 1 Siskin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 13 Goldfinches, 2 Goldcrests, 7 Starlings, 1 Golden Plover and 12 Skylarks.

Counts off Mudbank - 18 Bar-tailed Godwits, 23+ Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Turnstones, 51 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 7 Redshank, 1 Kingfisher, 82 Shelduck, 4 Sandwich Terns and at least 3 first-winter Mediterranean Gulls.

Black and Bar-tailed Godwits.

Bar-wit, Black-wit and Turnstone.

One of at least 4 Ring-necked Parakeets in Maer Valley today. This male at a nest hole.

Brambling, Skuas

I heard my first Redwing on this morning's walk to work and my first autumn Brambling flew over Orcombe Point on a brief post-work visit. 

A big surprise off Mudbank this afternoon was three Arctic Skuas flying downriver, no doubt pulled in by the large feeding flock of gulls off Starcross. I didn't get the best views but two were very dark and the third was a paler, browner juvenile-type. Also off Mudbank, as well as the usual stuff, at least 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 33 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Grey Plovers, 8 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, the Spotted Redshank and 8 Mediterranean Gulls.

Meds

Loads of Mediterranean Gulls in Exmouth this evening but only one (crap) photo managed. Having only seen the odd singleton in the last few weeks it was a bit of a surprise to see 14 off Mudbank after work - 9 first-winters, 3 adults and a second-winter. A scan of the estuary, from the docks area, revealed large numbers of gulls feeding in the river with several more Meds present, though I didn't count them.

Also off Mudbank - 2 Greenshank, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Redshank and at least 7 Pale-bellied Brent Geese amongst large numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Wigeon.

Otherwise it's been a busy week at work but quiet bird-wise with at least 13 Pale-bellied Brent Geese off Mudbank yesterday and, on the 12th, a count of 800+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese - quite a sharp jump in numbers. 

SEO

Sadly way too high for a good photo but it's always good to see a Short-eared Owl in Exmouth - this one almost  stratospheric over Orcombe Point this afternoon.

After work on Orcombe, late this afternoon - Short-eared Owl, 3 Jays, 16+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Golden Plover, 6 Stonechats, 1 Goldcrest, 12 Starlings, c20+ Meadow Pipits, 2 Blackcaps and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Small groups of Woodpigeon were moving north-west and with them a total of 12 Stock Doves. Below the point a gathering of c1000 Herring Gulls held a few Black-headed Gulls and a single adult Mediterranean Gull. A Clouded Yellow moved quickly through the top fields.

Off Mudbank - 70 Black-tailed Godwits and 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese noted.

Ivy flowers.

 I still haven't managed a good photo of a Jay in Exmouth, or anywhere else for that matter.