Garganey

This beautiful Garganey (eclipse male by the looks of it) arrived with a mini influx of 8 Pintail today - off Mudbank late this afternoon.

A quick look on Orcombe after work revealed 1 juvenile Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, 5+ Chiffchaffs, just 1 or 2 Yellow Wagtails and my first Goldcrest of the autumn. I thought the Red-legged Partridge party had all gone but one was flushed from the dung heap. It has obviously been keeping its head down during the breeding season.

Mudbank - 8 Pintail, 30 Wigeon, 1 Garganey, 3 Whimbrel and 1 Black-tailed Godwit.

Yesterday off Mudbank - 8 Common Terns, 1 juvenile Little Tern, 4 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Kingfisher, 30 Wigeon, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Teal, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Knot, 1 first winter Mediterranean Gull, 4 Redshank, 3 Greenshank and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Nearby off Shelly Beach - counts of 55+ Sandwich Terns, 7 Common Terns, 4 Mediterranean Gulls and 23 Sanderlings. The fourth-winter Yellow-legged Gull was in the recycling centre.

Orcombe Point was quiet with just 1 Stonechat, 1 Redshank, 4 Yellow Wagtails and 1 Wheatear of any note. A wader flock on the beach, at dawn,  was repeatedly flushed by dog-walkers but I managed to count 42 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin and 1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper.

This afternoon's juvenile Whinchat was on the dung heap. My first of the autumn but unlikely to be the last. We usually get individuals in September and even October.

Wheatear - dung heap.

This juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was on the beach early yesterday morning. This photo was snatched before the flock (consisting of 42 Ringed Plovers and 2 Dunlin) was flushed by a dog-walker.