It's not every day you get to see the favourite part of your patch completely destroyed. This afternoon this was the sight that greeted me - the dung field being utterly ripped to shreds. The area of scrub that has been dug up did have breeding Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackbirds. Not anymore. Little chunks of habitat like this provide little oases in a grass field desert. The timing of this destruction seems utterly crazy and it's thoroughly depressing.
As far as this week's birding goes there is very little to report, as the rest of the country is apparently groaning under the weight of rarities and scarce migrants. This evening's dog walk on the Commons produced Hobby and Spotted Flycatcher and off Mudbank there were 16 Bar-tailed Godwits this evening, with 2 Ringed Plovers and c15+ Dunlin.
Yesterday on Orcombe Point I recorded 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Swift, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 14 Sandwich Terns. Off Mudbank there were 35+ Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plovers and 1 Turnstone.
The 10th produced 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Collared Dove, 1 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin and 1 Grey Heron. Two Bar-tailed Godwits and a Knot were scoped on the river from the back garden.
The 9th was a better day. Orcombe Point - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Great Crested Grebes, c20+ Sandwich Terns, 1 Common Scoter, 1 Green Woodpecker and 4 Sanderling. Mudbank - 30+ Whimbrel, c30+ Sanderling, c35+ Dunlin, c30+ Turnstone, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Black-headed Gulls and 1 Great Crested Grebe.
An evening visit to the Exmouth Nightjar site resulted in fantastic views of 2/3+ birds and a late-evening singing Dartford Warbler. On Bystock Pools there was a pair of Tufted Ducks.
First-summer Mediterranean Gull
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