Chiffs

Chiffie - West Lodge.

Not much birding the last couple days but at West Lodge this afternoon - 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 1 Firecrest, 1 + Meadow Pipit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Stonechat, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Jay and a Cetti's Warbler.

The Siberian Chiffchaff is still frequenting scrub along the cycle path between West Lodge and the main road, almost always along the 50m stretch up from the new bench.

Boat Fire

Boat fire off Starcross - sadly, one of the Exmouth to Starcross ferries.

Maer Rocks from first light - 1 Red-throated Diver, 3 Great Northern Divers, 5 or 6 Common Scoters and 7 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Mudbank - not all species counted but 33 Ringed Plovers, c400+ Dunlin, 36 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 5 Knot, c165+ Pintail, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 12 Common Gulls and 1 Chiffchaff noted.

West Lodge - 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Goldcrests, 12 Goldfinches, 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Stonechat.

Bystock - 26+ Redwing, 2+ Firecrests, 2 Snipe, 1 Dartford Warbler, 6 Mallard, 1 Moorhen and 1 Little Grebe.

Siberian Chiffchaff - West Lodge.

Heard it call today - not the expected tristis call but a gentle 'hueet' - softer, quieter and less forcefully uttered than nearby collybitta but only subtly different. I understand there may be some variability in tristis call but all my previous Sibe Chiffs have either been silent or have uttered the classic 'heep'.

Stonechat - West Lodge - the wintering male.

Little Egret - Mudbank.

Storm Bert

Awful visibility off the seafront this morning. High winds and torrential rain resulted in very few birds.

Seafront - 30+ Kittiwakes, 7 Curlew, 3 Common Gulls and 3 Eider.

Imperial rugby ground - 32+ Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 5 Redshank and a Mistle Thrush.

Mudbank - 25+ Great Crested Grebes.

Seafront yesterday - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 11+ Common Gulls, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Rock Pipit and 3 Eiders.

Duckpond - 7 Black Swans, 9 Ringed Plovers, 2 Grey Plovers and 13 Redshank.

Imperial rugby ground - 1 Mistle Thrush, c30 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 19+ Great Black-backed Gulls.

Shelly Beach - 1 Great Northern Diver and 1 Rock Pipit.

Great Northern Diver - Shelly Beach.

Great Crested Grebe - Duckpond.

This family group of Black Swans was in Duckpond yesterday - the first time I've seen this species in Exmouth this year.

Mistle Thrush - on the rugby ground.

 Ringed Plover - Duckpond.

Goldies

Song Thrush - between Lower Halsdon Farm and West Lodge.

Orcombe Point first light - 25 Golden Plovers, 4 Snipe, c30 Meadow Pipits and a fly-over Mediterranean Gull.

Mudbank - 50 Redshank, 1 Knot and the Cetti's Warbler. Two Pale-bellied Brent Geese off the Imperial with numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

West Lodge - 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest and 1+ Fieldfare.

Just 1 Chiffchaff in Maer carpark Willows and nearby a Firecrest along Madeira Walk. Additionally - single Blackcaps were seen along the cycle track near Lower Halsdon Farm and at Foxholes.

Twenty-five Golden Plovers - Orcombe Point. Cold weather movers.

Firecrest. This bird was along the cycle track near West Lodge. Another was along Madeira Walk.

Siberian Chiffchaff - West Lodge.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose.

Black-throated Diver

Black-throated Diver quite close offshore past the lifeboat station. I can probably count on one hand the number of BtDs Ive seen in Exmouth (though I suspect a number of 'diver sp' over the years have been this species)  so I was dead chuffed with today's bird.

I looked at the sea from the raised beach huts for the first hour after dawn. A Black-throated Diver was the highlight. Several Gannets plus small numbers of auks and Kittiwakes passed along with 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 diver sp and 2 Great Northern Divers.

Mudbank - c60+ Mallard, c200+ Pintail, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 9+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Peregrine amongst the usual other bits and bobs.

At West Lodge - 1 Firecrest, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Stonechat.

Maer long-stay carpark - 1 Siskin and 3 Chiffchaffs.

A short Blackhill Quarry dog-walk, late yesterday afternoon, produced 2 very vocal Firecrests (Frying Pans carpark), 2 redhead Goosanders, 1 Little Grebe and a drake Tufted Duck.

Not sure what to make of this. Hybrid Wigeon x Pintail? If so, it seems hard to believe it's the regular returning bird but I guess a move out of September eclipse plumage (to more Wigeon-like plumage) could explain why I haven't clocked it in several weeks. The photo below was taken on 25/9/24.

This massive (presumed immature female) Peregrine was again targeting Bar-tailed Godwits off Mudbank and causing pandemonium. No kill whilst I was there today but I've already seen it take two and I've no doubt it will be back for more!

Stonechat - West Lodge.

Firecrest - West Lodge. Presumably the regular individual.

Gadwall, Sibe Chiff

Three Gadwall off Mudbank. Always a good Exmouth bird.

Mudbank counts - 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 26+ Great Crested Grebes, 7 Red-breasted Mergansers, c195 Pintail, 3 female Gadwall, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Cetti's Warbler.

West Lodge - 2+ Chiffchaffs and a Siberian Chiffchaff.

Only a quick look at the top fields this morning with just 1 Redpoll and 3 Stonechats of any note.

I'm assuming this is the same Siberian Chiffchaff I had just over a week ago. It was in the same bit of hedgerow at West Lodge this afternoon.

Feeding unobtrusively and, compared with 'colybitta' Chiffie, quite sluggishly in a hedge, this Sibe Chiff responded immediately to pishing.

Goldeneye, Mergs

Meadow Pipit - Orcombe Point. At least 30 grounded but no overheads.

Yet another quiet morning on Orcombe with absolutely no overhead movement despite clear skies. I recorded 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest, 3 Chiffchaffs, 1 Snipe, 4 Stock Doves, 35+ Skylarks, 30+ Meadow Pipits, 12+ Song Thrushes and 14+ Blackbirds.

A late afternoon look off Mudbank produced counts of 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 17+ Great Crested Grebes, c130 Dunlin, c75 Turnstones, 45+ Grey Plovers, 45+ Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 5+ Bar-tailed Godwits,  3 Black-tailed Godwits and 30+ Little Egrets.

Yesterday - my first Goldeneye of the autumn - a distant female-type late afternoon.

 Lapwing - Orcombe 13/11/24.

13/11 - Orcombe - 2 Egyptian Geese east, 1 Firecrest, c35 Skylarks, 1 Lapwing, c260 Woodpigeons, 11 Stock Doves, 1 Snipe and 17+ Chaffinches.

Mudbank - 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Grey Plovers, 3 Ringed Plovers, 8+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 32+ Teal and a Peregrine that predated another Bar-tailed Godwit.

Nearby at West Lodge - 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Stonechat and 3 Chiffchaffs.

Ruff, Hawfinch

Male Ruff - Mudbank. A returning bird that always turns up with a decent-sized Black-tailed Godwit flock. This is the fourth autumn in a row that 've seen it.

Patches of blue sky for the first time in what feels like ages. Nothing particularly unusual on Orcombe in the first hour or so of daylight, but plenty moving with 110+ Chaffinches, c600 Woodpigeons, 4 Golden Plovers, 8 Snipe, c15+ Skylarks, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Little Egret, 5 Mallard, 1 Stonechat, 3+ Cirl Buntings, 1 Grey Wagtail, 12+ Goldfinches, 1 Siskin, 1 Bullfinch, 7 Starlings, 3 Fieldfares, 4 Redwings, 15+ Meadow Pipits, 10+ Blackbirds, 3+ Pied Wagtails, 23+ Stock Doves, 7+ Song Thrushes and 1+ Goldcrest. I only covered the top fields.

Mudbank - 1 Hawfinch, 4 Skylarks, 7 Knot, c170 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Ruff, c70 Redshank, 6 Greenshank, c100 Dunlin, 2 Lapwing, 5 Grey Plovers, 13 Bar-tailed Godwits, 9 Teal, 2 Shoveler (a different pair to yesterday's birds - see below), c100+ Turnstones, 32+ Great Crested Grebes, c180+ Pintail and 35+ Cattle Egrets (in fields with cattle over the other side of the river).

A Black Redstart again in the Shelly Beach area with at least 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese off there. Otherwise - a Firecrest again at West Lodge with at least 4 Chiffchaffs. No sign of any Sibe Chiffs today.

Hawfinch - Mudbank. Sat scanning through the ducks and waders when at 0916 - the famliar, hurried 'hisss hisss' of a Hawfinch sounded from behind me. In a second it was overhead and out over the river, towards Starcross, no doubt with Haldon Hills firmly in its sights. Just enough time too clock white wing flashes and a white-tipped tail but too quick for an anywhere near decent photo!

Yesterday - Orcombe Point - 80+ Chaffinches, at least 2 Brambling, 6 Golden Plovers, 15 Stock Doves, c40 Redwings, 11 Fieldfares, 160+ Starlings, 7+ Song Thrushes, 7+ Blackbirds, 2 Stonechats, 2 Cirl Buntings, 9 Pied Wagtails, c20 Skylarks, 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Firecrests and 2 Coal Tits.

Only a couple minutes looking at Mudbank but 2 Shovelers were noteworthy. 

Two of six Golden Plovers on Orcombe Point - 9/11.

I photographed this drake Teal as it's a bit of a novelty to get one so close. Teal are not terribly infrequent off Mudbank but they tend to hang around much further out on the river than the Wigeon and Pintail.

 Yesterday's Shovelers - Mudbank.

Sibe Chiffs

One of at least two Siberian Chiffchaffs today. This one was extremely elusive in scrub beside the Maer long-stay carpark. There was at least one at West Lodge too, beside the cycle path - even harder to photograph.

Continued dark and overcast conditions with a fresh south-easterly. Mudbank today, amongst numbers of Wigeon and Dark-bellied Brent Geese - c40 Dunlin, c150 Turnstones, 1 Grey Plover, 18+ Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 9+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 15+ Great Crested Grebes, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 7+ Teal, 90+ Pintail, 2 Cattle Egrets, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Meadow Pipits and 1+ Redwing.

Orcombe Point (top fields/Gore Lane) - 4+ Chiffchaffs, 20 Starlings, 1+ Redwing and 8 Fieldfares.

Maer long-stay carpark - 1 male Blackcap, half a dozen Chiffchaffs, 1 Siberian Chiffchaff and 3 or 4+ Goldcrests.

Shelly Beach - 2 Black Redstarts.

West Lodge - at least 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, 1 Firecrest, at least 2 Goldcrests, 8+ Redwing, c20 Goldfinches and 2+ Mistle Thrushes.

One of two Cattle Egrets off Mudbank first thing. At least another 70 were on wrecks on the other side of the river.

Both birds.

Black Redstart - Shelly beach. Two birds seen today.

5/11 - Orcombe Point - 7 Lapwings, 2 Fieldfares, 1 Firecrest, 4 Redwings, 5 Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests, 1 Coal Tit, 7+ Song Thrushes and 10+ Blackbirds.

Mudbank - 1 drake Tufted Duck and a Red-breasted Merganser of note.

Six of Seven Lapwings in the top fields  - 5/11.