Locustella

Yellow Wagtail - Orcombe Point. One of five yesterday.

Orcombe Point from 0710 - an improvement in variety in clear conditions this morning. Heading west - 315+ Meadow Pipits, 1+ Reed Bunting, 4+ Siskins, 15+ Chaffinches, c40+ Linnets, 65+ Goldfinches (with an additional flock of c40 in the top fields), 28+ alba Wagtails and 1 Tree Pipit. A small number of Skylarks were moving too. Also up there this morning - 1 Firecrest, c25 Chiffchaffs, 1 Stonechat, 3 Blackcaps, 30+ Swallows, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Coal Tit and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Mudbank - 1150+ Wigeon, 200+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 4+ Pale-bellied Brent Geese, just 2 Pintail, the Pintail x Wigeon hybrid, c100 Shelduck, 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Grey Plover (my first in quite some time), 3 Dunlin, 7 Greenshank, 38+ Redshank, 1+ Kingfisher and a Rook (unusual to see one feeding on the mud off there). Across the river - c10/15+ Cattle Egrets in cattle fields somewhere between (and behind) Starcross and Cockwood.

Yesterday - Orcombe Point - 5 Yellow Wagtails, 1+ Wheatear and 1 locustella sp - presumably a Grasshopper Warbler but at this time of year I'd have liked a proper look! It flew out of long grass and flipped over a hedge looking a little darker than I'd have expected. Also - c20+ Swallows into a cold northerly wind and c20/30+ Meadow Pipits.

Mudbank - 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese with 200+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese on Cockle Sands. Also - 9 Greenshank, 21 Redshank, 27 Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Whimbrel and 2 Turnstones.

A quick look at Blackhill Quarry revealed this sleepy redhead Goosander, 4 Tufted Ducks, 1 Coot, 1 Kingfisher and a Little Grebe.

Meadow Pipits

A surprisingly good movement of Meadow Pipits west over Orcombe Point this morning with a small number grounded.

Orcombe Point from first light - 490+ Meadow Pipits, 4+ Yellow Wagtails, 2 Golden Plovers, 2+ Wheatears, 3 Stonechats, 4 Grey Wagtails, 15+ alba Wagtails, c20 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, 7 Swallows, 1+ Goldcrest, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Sandwich Terns and 1 Common Scoter.

Mudbank - 15 Redshank, c50 Turnstones, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 29 Black-tailed Godwits, 255+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Reed Bunting over.

23/9 - 5 Eider off the seafront - 3 males and 2 females.

22/9 - Mudbank - 15 Redshank, 158 Pintail, 240+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose and 20 Great Crested Grebes.

21/9 - Mudbank - 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, c235 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Osprey, 2 Kingfishers, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Turnstones, 70+ Pintail, and 7 Redshank. A flock of at least 42 Cattle Egrets was with a cattle herd in fields behind Starcross.

Five Eider off the seafront on Monday.

Wigeon x Pintail hybrid - Mudbank.

 Mediterranean Gull sightings are infrequent at the moment.

Wig 900, Ruff

 Yellow Wagtail - one of 12 on Orcombe Point late yesterday afternoon.

Orcombe Point today - again pretty birdless with just 3+ Grey Wagtails, 1 Yellow Wagtail, c15 Meadow Pipits, 5 Swallows, 2 Blackcaps, 1+ Goldcrest, 11+ Chiffchaffs and 2 Wheatears. Masses of Silver Y nectaring on Red Clover and kicked up from long grass.

Mudbank getting busy now with another surge in wildfowl numbers - 900+ Wigeon, c110 Pintail, c40 Teal, c180 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Shoveler, 40 Mute Swans (38 adult and just 2 juvs), c110 Shelducks and the Pintail x Wigeon hybrid. A Ruff this evening was my first of the year. Also off Mudbank - 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Turnstones, 1 Whimbrel, 5 Sandwich Terns, 1 first-winter Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtails, a fly-by Great Spotted Woodpecker, 7 Grey Herons and an Osprey. Mallard and Canada Geese not counted but present in high numbers.

Yesterday - Orcombe Point - 12 Yellow Wagtails and 1 Stonechat on a brief post work visit. Off Mudbank - 1 Osprey, 600+ Teal, 1 Greenshank and the hybrid Pintail x Wigeon.

Drake Tufted Duck centre with Pintail and Wigeon.

The Osprey caused a great deal of disturbance on the lower estuary late this morning...

...at one point putting all 180+ Brent Geese up. It's wonderful to hear their calls once again.

It was upsetting to see this first-winter Yellow-legged Gull hooked up to a discarded fishing lure or some such piece of equipment.

Spot Fly

 Spotted Flycatcher. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get one on Orcombe this autumn. It has been really poor with no Sedge Warbler, no Grasshopper Warbler and no Redstart yet. Other 'common' migrants have been in very short supply so I was more pleased than I normally would have been with this Willow Warbler...

Orcombe Point from 0710 'til 0905 - 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Wheatear, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Stonechats, 100+ Meadow Pipits, 4 'alba' Wagtails, 1 Coal Tit, 16+ Chiffchaffs, up to 5 Grey Wagtails, 14+ House Martins, 35+ Swallows, 4 Blackcaps and a river-bound flock of 22 Cormorants.

Mudbank - 43 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose (this morning, rising to 55 Brents late this afternoon but the light was too harsh to tell whether the 11 extras were pale or dark), 104 Pintail, c370 Wigeon, 6 Teal, 2 Tufted Ducks, 19 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 143 Shelducks, 11+ Ringed Plovers, 23+ Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 1 Stock Dove, 2 Sandwich Terns, 11 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 29+ Little Egrets, 1 Whimbrel and 1 Kingfisher. The Wigeon x Pintail hybrid has returned for another year. Yippeee!

Additionally - a Yellow Wagtail over the house late morning and a Kestrel over the cricket pitch.

A flock of 22 Cormorants past Orcombe Point towards the river.

Pintail - Mudbank. A total of 104 counted today.

Wigeon - Mudbank. Today's count was c370 birds. Plenty more to come yet...

Peregrines - Orcombe Point. Obvious size difference between male (left) and female.

LBD again, Spoonbill, Gadwall

The Long-billed Dowitcher was again off Mudbank first thing, just as the tide was dropping.

Off Mudbank today - the Long-billed Dowitcher, 1  Spoonbill, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 23+ Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 9 Knot, 40+ Dunlin, c45 Ringed Plovers, 19 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Teal, 1 drake Gadwall, c190 Wigeon, 34+ Pintail, 330+ Mallard, 14 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Whimbrel, 85+ Shelducks, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Orcombe from 0815 was again very quiet with just 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Whitethroat, 20+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Grey Wagtail, 16+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Ravens, 2 Peregrines, 2 Jays and a Stock Dove recorded.

A quick look at the river from the back garden produced this roosting Spoonbill.

It stayed all afternoon until pushed off by the rising tide.

The Long-billed Dowitcher flew in quite late on, after some birders had given up and left.

An afternoon stroll round Bystock was quiet but Firecrests are always guaranteed up there.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher (centre)  with Black-tailed Godwits. When I first picked it up I could just see the top of it's head and breast. It had presumably been tucked in underneath the bank, out of sight, only coming into view as the tide rose.

I joked with Lee yesterday that the Long-billed Dowitcher would never relocate to this side of the Exe. We've never had a yank wader in Exmouth so it simply couldn't happen! It was therefore with considerable surprise that, around 120pm, I picked up an orangey-looking wader in the channel off Mudbank that looked every inch 'dowitcherish'! It soon popped its head up and I was able to put the news out. The tide crept in very slowly and the bird remained for over two hours before apparently flying upriver, just after half three. Several birders managed to see it but it spent most of its time asleep and the lighting was just too harsh for decent photos. Also off there - 14 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c40 Ringed Plovers, 13+ Dunlin, 8 Knot, 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 23 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Common Terns, 25+ Redshank, 1 Greenshank and 1 Whimbrel.

Earlier, on Orcombe - 18+ Chiffchaffs, 60+ Meadow Pipits, 3 Tree Pipits, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtails, c20 Goldfinches, 24 hirundine sp, 9+ Swallows, 13+ House Martins, 1 Little Egret, 1 Collared Dove, 1 Whitethroat, 1+ Cirl Bunting and 1 Red-legged Partridge.

The white bars on the tail are a little wider than expected which makes the tail look quite pale. I believe this is a variable feature though. Thankfully Lee, who found this bird in Shutterton Creek yesterday, heard the diagnostic call.

Every time I've ever seen Long-billed Dowitcher I'm taken aback by its small size - here with Oystercatchers.

Tree Pipit climbing a tree - Orcombe Point.

Wheatear

Orcombe Point - 25+ Chiffchaffs, 60+ Meadow Pipits, 5+ Grey Wagtails, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Coal Tit, 2 Blackcaps, 4 Swallows, 1 Wheatear, 2 Tree Pipits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and at least 1 Cirl Bunting.

Mudbank - c160 Wigeon, c230 Teal, 1 male Tufted Duck, 6 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Osprey, 21+ Redshank, 1 Snipe, 5+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 27+ Black-tailed Godwits, 2 or 3 Greenshank, 2 Knot, c30/40+ Ringed Plovers, c20/30+ Dunlin, 30 Mute Swans, 92+ Shelducks, 1 Whimbrel, 6+ Turnstones, 16 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Sandwich Terns, 4 Swallows, 1+ Grey Wagtail and a Jay. 

Mipits, Brents

Unlike every other Blackcap I've seen this autumn this male was hopping around in the road, right out in the open.

Orcombe Point early this morning - 67+ Meadow Pipits west - the first significant passage of the autumn, 2 Tree Pipits, 2 'alba' wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail, 11+ Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps and a Whitethroat.

Mudbank - 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Wigeon, 12+ Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 71 Shelduck, 1 Whimbrel, 27+ Little Egrets, c40+ Ringed Plovers, 1 Teal, 1 Kingfisher and at least 1 Osprey. Nearby - 6 Dark-bellied Brent Geese in Duckpond.

Yesterday - c20 Cattle Egrets on a couple wrecks over the other side of the river. Also c150 Wigeon.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Duckpond - the first returners.

Green Sand, Ducks Building

Sparrowhawk - Orcombe Point.

A Green Sandpiper flew over Mudbank at around 0820 this morning. My first in Exmouth this year. Also off Mudbank today - 1 Osprey, 5 Shovelers, 120+ Wigeon, 30 Pintail, 1 Little Tern, at least 1 Common Tern, 40+ Ringed Plovers, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 62 Shelducks, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, at least 13 Black-tailed Godwits and 9 Great Crested Grebes.

Orcombe was typically quiet with just 60+ Swallows, 1 Sand Martin, 1 House Martin, 2 Wheatear, 4 Blackcaps and 11+ Chiffchaffs. 

Yesterday on Orcombe - 13+ Chiffchaffs, 3+ Meadow Pipits and 6 Yellow Wagtails the best of it. Off Mudbank - 1 Tufted Duck, 82 Wigeon, 27 Pintail, 10+ Black-tailed Godwits, 64 Shelducks, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Little Tern, 15 Teal, 5+ Redshank and 1 Osprey.

Kestrel - Orcombe Point.

Yesterday's female-type Tufted Duck.

Shovelers - Mudbank.

Little Egret - Mudbank.

Rain

Getting a bit late for Swifts now. This bird flew north over Orcombe Point this afternoon.

Rain is almost always productive when it comes to birds. Following yesterday's deluge I spent some time looking at the estuary today (Mudbank/Imperial/Shelly Beach). Numbers included 1 Osprey, 1 juv/fw Little Gull, 75+ Common Terns, at least 50 Sandwich Terns (probably considerably more), a very probable juvenile White-winged Black Tern, 8 Redshank, c350+ Canada Geese, 1 Greenshank, 120+ Teal, 80+ Wigeon, 23 Pintail, 4 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 11+ Turnstones, 1 Common Sandpiper, 140+ Curlew, 20 Mute swans, 62 Shelduck, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Kingfisher, 12 Great Crested Grebes, c60+ Dunlin, 2+ Sanderling, 8 Knot, c60+ Swallows (upriver), 2+ Mediterranean Gulls, 1 Wheatear and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

A Spoonbill was on Pole Sands (cheers Kev!) and on Orcombe Point this afternoon - 3 Wheatear and 1 Swift. At least 2 Sand Martins were with good numbers of Swallows and House Martins.

This aberrant Wheatear was on the imperial recreation ground. The whitish fringes to the crown and mantle feathers rendering it rather attractive.

Typical juvenile Wheatears on the dung heap.

Osprey on Cockle Sands. This bird was seen at least three times today.