Saturday, 2 November 2019

Awful Weather Awful Photos


Very Strong winds and heavy rain battered Exmouth seafront today but the birding was disappointing.

Lots of quick checks around the river and seafront today, in a bid to stay dry and pick up some storm-blown species. No phalaropes, skuas or petrels but off Maer Rocks - 16+ Common Scoter, 1 Eider, 1 Scaup, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 4 Turnstone and an adult Little Gull. Otherwise just a few distant Gannet, a few auks and a diver sp that was probably Great Northern.
A few checks of the relatively sheltered 'Duck Pond', off the leisure centre, produced 1 first-winter Little Gull, 1 Great Northern Diver, 2 Mediterranean Gull, c15+ Turnstone, 4+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 40+ Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 3+ Great Crested Grebe and 5 Redwing over.
A Firecrest was with at least 3 Goldcrest in sallows alongside the Maer long-stay carpark.
The Water Pipit was still on the dung heap on Thursday and a quick zoom around before dark revealed c10+ Song Thrush and 6+ Goldcrest. Yesterday a similarly-timed run-around produced 2 Snipe and a Reed Bunting.
 

Female-type Scaup (second from left) with three Common Scoter - my first in Exmouth this year.


Drake Eider - off Maer Rocks.


A first-winter Little Gull battles in to the wind across the Duck Pond.


 Great Northern Diver - Duck Pond (off the leisure centre).


The Water Pipit was still on the dung heap on Thursday October 31st but I couldn't find it after work yesterday and I haven't checked the area today.



Firecrest - Maer long-stay Carpark.


Still at least 40 Pale-bellied Brent Geese in with the Dark-bellied birds.


One of two first-winter Mediterranean Gulls off the Leisure Centre.

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