Little Gull, Swift

Second-summer Little Gull.

An early morning sea-watch (0540 - 0655) from the raised beach huts - counts included 7 Great Northern Divers, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Whimbrel, 6 Fulmars, 14+ Gannets, 6+ Dunlin, 10 Common Gulls, 15 Kittiwakes, 1 first-summer Mediterranean Gull, 13 Common Scoters, 20+ Black-headed Gulls, 1 Sandwich Tern and 3 Sanderlings.

Mudbank - 29+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 55+ Whimbrels, 5 Grey Plovers, 1 Turnstone, c50 Dunlin, 1 Swift (north over and my first this year), 1 Sandwich Tern, 1 second-summer Little Gull (briefly at 1645), 4 Swallows, 19 Sanderling, 10 Mute Swans and 2 Great Crested Grebes.

Bystock - 2 Tufted Ducks, 1 Moorhen and the singing Cuckoo still, and nearby, on Bicton Common - a day-roosting Nightjar.

Yesterday's dawn sea-watch revealed numerous parties of auks with just 2 close enough to identify - both Guillemots. Also a first-summer Mediterranean Gull, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Great Northern Diver, 7 Sandwich Terns, 24+ Gannets, 4 Black-headed Gulls and an all dark skua that was probably a Pom (on build and flight action) but it was too distant, and flying away from me.

On 2/5, off Mudbank - 26 Sandwich Terns, 3 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 65 Whimbrel and 15+ Bar-tailed Godwits.

On Bystock Pool - 2 Tufted Ducks and my first Exmouth Little Grebe of 2023.

The dark markings in the outer primaries indicate this bird isn't quite adult, so presumably a second-summer. Looks a bit odd with white eyelids too. Great bird though.

Day-roosting Nightjar.

Tufted Duck pair - Bystock.

Little Grebe - Bystock 2/5. A bird I can't guarantee seeing in Exmouth in any given year.

Roe Deer - Orcombe Point.

Whimbrel - Mudbank.

Bar-tailed Godwits - Mudbank.

Sandwich Terns - Mudbank 2/5.

Common Sandpiper - Mudbank 2/5. Only my second this year in Exmouth, following the wintering bird.