Thursday 9 February 2023

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat


Richard very kindly invited me over to see the Eastern Lesser Whitethroat today. It has been frequenting his back garden, just around the corner from us, on Halsdon Avenue, since early December. I bumped into it, on Belle Vue Road, on December 10th 2022 and haven't (until today) seen it since! It's a very interesting looking bird - very pale in the field, with lovely sandy-brown upperparts  and nice peachy buff-washed flanks. Many thanks Richard.
Otherwise today - 2 juvenile Spoonbills, c185 Grey Plovers, c90 Knot and 42 Wigeon off Mudbank. The female Scaup was a little further upriver, towards Lympstone - and in the top fields, Orcombe Point - 1 Dartford Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 17 Lapwings, 3 Golden Plovers, 150+ Skylarks and c50 Starlings. Nearby, a Firecrest in the Maer long-stay carpark.







Looks like a wholly white outer tail feather. This bird is presumably blythi or possibly halimodendri?


The two juvenile Spoonbills were again off Mudbank this afternoon. That's Starcross' Atmospheric Railway pumping station in the background.


A little bit of sunshine tempted the turnip field Dartford Warbler to resurface this afternoon.


Two of three Golden Plovers on Orcombe Point this afternoon.

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