Late Sandwich T

Spot the Firecrest!

Orcombe from 0700. Cold and grey with a fresh easterly blowing - 3 Black-tailed Godwits (east), 2 Siskins, 23+ Cattle Egrets (Bond's farm), 8 Chiffchaffs (slight increase), 20+ Song Thrushes, 1 Mistle Thrush, 30 Stock Doves, c125 Woodpigeons, 3+ Firecrests, 3 Goldcrests, 2+ Cirl Buntings, 5 Stonechats, 1+ Redwing, 3+ Rock Pipits, 1 Snipe and c50+ Common Scoters offshore.

Shelly Beach area - 2 Black Redstarts and 1 Chiffchaff.

Mudbank - 1 Siberian Chiffchaff still along with 3 colybitta Chiffchaffs. Also off there  - 1 Sandwich Tern, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Peregrine, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. Most stuff not counted but a big flock of c300+ Dunlin was off there late afternoon.

Maer long-stay carpark - 1 Firecrest.

Now two Black Redstarts in the Shelly Beach area. These photos taken in the Gut.

This cattle herd next to Bond's Farm (Maer Lane) has pulled in up to 30 Cattle Egrets daily for the last few days. At least 23 birds present today.

Three Mediterranean Gulls off Mudbank.

Meadow Pipit - Imperial recreation ground.

Great Grey Shrike, Sibe Chiff

This morning's Great Grey Shrike - Woodbury Common. The last (and only other) GGS I found was in the same area in November 2016. That bird lingered into 2017 and, according to Mark, there hasn't been another bird on the Pebbled Heaths until today.

A lot of walking around Woodbury Common, Bicton Common and Blackhill Quarry today, escaping the Exmouth fog, produced 1 Great Grey Shrike, 1 Redpoll, 2+ Crossbills, 2 Brambling, 4+ Siskins, 4 Snipe, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Yellowhammer, 8 Dartford Warblers, 3+ Redwings, 24 Tufted Ducks, 34 Teal, 1 Pintail, 7 Wigeon, 2 Coot, 1 Moorhen, 1 Grey Heron and 2 Little Grebes.

Mudbank - a quick look this afternoon - 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 1 colybitta Chiffchaff and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers. Light terrible and tide too far out.

A fog-bound Orcombe first thing produced 2 Firecrests, c150 Woodpigeons, 1 Snipe, 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Cirl Buntings, 16 Starlings, 20+ Blackbirds and 15 Cattle Egrets. A flock of c55 Wigeon flew west first thing and then several smaller parties of ducks, presumably this species moved east a long way out as the sun rose.

Sunrise from a cold Orcombe Point this morning.

Siberian Chiffchaff - Mudbank.

Red Kite, RTD

Juvenile Red Kite low east over Exmouth at 1158.

Orcombe Point from 0710 - 30+ Cattle Egrets, 3+ Redwings, 30/40+ Blackbirds, 12+ Song Thrushes, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Firecrests, 4 Goldcrests, 14+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Curlew, 2 Stonechats, 12+ Goldfinches, c50 Starlings and 2 male Cirl Buntings.

A Red Kite flew east over the town (seen from the Imperial rec) and off Mudbank - counts included 1 Whimbrel, 9 Greenshank, 10 Grey Plovers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers (male and female) and a Red-throated Diver.

Nearby at West Lodge - 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Firecrest, 2 Stonechats, 2 Meadow Pipits, 2 Redwings and 4 Chiffchaffs.

Cattle Egrets - Orcombe Point. A sight that would have been inconceivable twenty years ago!

Hen Harrier, Snow Bunting

Start Point early this morning being hammered by a strong easterly.

My birthday today so Lu and I headed down to the South Hams. We walked from Start Point to Prawle (and back). Not too much bird-wise - just 4+ Firecrests, 3 Teal and c15+ Rock Pipits (Horseley Beach) of any note. We had lunch at Stokely Farm Shop before having a quick look at the Torcross end of Slapton Ley where a ringtail Hen Harrier was a lovely surprise! Very little on the Ley itself so we checked the Ireland Bay end where the Hen Harrier appeared high up, heading north. In the more sheltered Ireland Bay - 2 Little Grebes, 105+ Coot, 31+ Tufted Ducks, 18+ Teal and 2 Shoveler. The Snow Bunting was on Slapton Beach and 2 Mediterranean Gulls flew over.

Hen Harrier. Think this is the first I've seen since 2018 but should check. Certainly a rare sight in Devon these days and a species I've still not seen in Exmouth.

The Snow Bunting was surprisingly easy to find just south of the memorial carpark.

Start Point from Slapton Sands.

Swallow, Black Red

This flock of 15 Common Scoters flew past just after a flock of 23 took off from near Maer rocks before dropping again further offshore. Thirty-eight Common Scoters is a decent count for Exmouth these days!

Orcombe from 0650 when it was still pretty much dark, overcast and unpleasantly chilly in the continuing north-easterly - 38 Common Scoters, 2 Pintail, 2+ Redwings and 1 Cattle Egret.

The Eider was off the seafront and at Shelly beach - 1 Swallow and 1 Black Redstart.

Mudbank - 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 6 Grey Plovers, 22+ Ringed Plovers, 4 Knot, 15 Greenshank, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose and 1 Kestrel which flew out over the river. Most of the more numerous species again not counted.

Lu and I went for a long walk on the Pebbled Heaths this afternoon. Blackhill Quarry was uncharacteristically 'ducky' with 23 Tufted Ducks, 26 Teal and c75 Mallard logged. Also 2 Coot, 1+ Little Grebe and 1 Redpoll there. Nearby 2 Brambling over Woodbury Common.

This Swallow was finding plenty of flies along the sheltered edge of Shelly beach.

My first Black Redstart of the autumn.

Whooper Swan

A hopelessly bad record shot of this morning's Whooper Swan. It flew low upriver at 1048 and by the time I got the camera sorted it had reached almost as far as Powderham corner. It then took a more easterly bearing across the river and I lost it from sight behind the red cliffs of Lympstone. I'm guessing it continued upriver towards Topsham as it was later reportedly on Exeter canal with Mute Swans before continuing north. This is only my second Whooper record in Exmouth following one, north over Orcombe on October 1st 2022.

Orcombe from dawn on a cold north-easterly with clear skies - disappointing with just c1000+ Woodpigeons, 16 Stock Doves, 1 Siskin, 2 Bullfinches, 13 Greenfinches, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Curlew, 6 Chiffchaffs, 10 Blackbirds and the resident male Cirl Bunting of any note.

I was pleased to discover a flock of 34 Cattle Egrets in the nearby Maer Valley - by far the largest gathering for me within the parish boundary! Also in Maer Valley - 1 Little Egret, 1 Firecrest, 1+ Redwing and 1 Ring-necked Parakeet.

Mudbank - 1 Whooper Swan, c265+ Redshank, 14 Greenshank, 33 Ringed Plovers, 6 Grey Plovers, c120 Turnstones, c235 Teal, c775 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1+ Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 17+ Great Crested Grebes, 77+ Common Gulls, 10+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Shoveler and 1 Mistle Thrush.

With Turf Lock in the background.

I'm lucky enough to be able to watch flocks in excess of 100 Cattle Egrets flying between their roost site and feeding grounds across the other side of the Exe in the winter, but I rarely encounter more than one or two birds actually in Exmouth, so this morning's flock of 34 birds was a bit of a novelty.

With a bit of careful stalking I was able to get really close. These photos were taken from the public footpath through a gap in the hedge.

Way outnumbered by the Cattle Egrets, just this single Little Egret was present in Maer Valley this morning.

R-b Merg

The majority of this morning's Woodpigeons headed south out to sea. Not sure if the north-easterly breeze had anything to do with it but I'm used to seeing them migrate west.

Orcombe from 0650 'til 0900 this morning - c3500 Woodpigeons, 18+ Blackbirds, 6 Redwings, 3+ Goldcrests, 5 Chiffchaffs, 1 Stonechat, 10+ Pied Wagtails, 35+ Goldfinches, 11+ Song Thrushes, 14 Stock Doves, 7+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Cirl Bunting, 1+ Firecrest, 5+ Chaffinches, 6 Starlings, 1 Grey Wagtail, c30 Jackdaws, 3 Siskins, 1 Coal Tit and a flock of at least 18 Long-tailed Tits.

The first returning Red-breasted Merganser was off Mudbank this morning along with 11+ Greenshank, 34+ Teal, 24 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Shoveler (3 drakes, 2 females), a male Gadwall and 1 Grey Plover. A Peregrine made multiple attempts to kill an Oystercatcher but was ultimately unsuccessful, thanks to the Oystercatcher's low, evasive flight and repeated plunges into the river.

Two lovely Meadow Pipits posed on a fence at West Lodge. Two Stonechats were in the adjacent reedbed.