Yellowhammers

Yellowhammers are back and singing on their Exmouth territories after a long winter absence.

Pochard pair - Bowling Green. Drake Scaup below.

More RTDs

Another blowy morning so another dawn look at the sea. A seventy minute vigil produced 60 Red-throated Divers (all west), a probable Black-throated Diver, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Shelduck, 2 Fulmars east, at least 14 Common Scoters (14 west, 4 east) 45 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and at least 1 Great Crested Grebe. 

Off Mudbank - a Red-throated Diver was only my second record off there. Additionally - c375 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a 2w Mediterranean Gull, 2 Knot and 10 Wigeon.     

RTDs

Great Crested Grebe - Mudbank.

A bit windy this morning. A thirty minute look off Maer Rocks produced 31 Red-throated Divers west along with a single Common Scoter. Otherwise a few Kittiwakes Gannets and auks.

19/2 - a single female Cirl Bunting on the Imperial recreation ground and 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls off Mudbank.

18/2 - Mudbank - 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Greenshank and 1 Mediterranean Gull. On Orcombe Point - a brief afternoon look revealed c3/400+ Jackdaws and a Chiffchaff. A party of four Stonechats were presumably early migrants unless they've been keeping their heads down all winter.

17/2 - 14+ Red-throated Divers west past Orcombe Point early on and c200+ Dunlin east. On farmland near the sewage works - 3 Reed Buntings, c20/30+ Chaffinches and c25+ Stock Doves.

A Great Northern Diver and single Pale-bellied Brent Goose were off Shelly Beach and off Mudbank - c40 Wigeon, c70 Redshank, c50 Turnstones, 19 Ringed Plovers, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Mediterranean Gull and the Cetti's Warbler.

Mediterranean Gull (top left) with Black-headed Gulls - Mudbank.

18/2 - The Russian White-fronted Goose just about showed, albeit briefly and very distantly. A walk from Countess Wear produced the usual assortment of stuff including 9+ Cetti's Warblers, c20 Coot, 5+ Tufted Ducks, 1 Rock Pipit (Turf), 1 female Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebes and at least 1 Marsh Harrier. The tide was high so no LBD though no doubt it would have returned on the receding tide.

Velvet Scoters

Reed Bunting - one of at least three in the field next to the sewage treatment works, recently vacated (and rather messed up) by South West Water. With them a flock of c40/50+ Chaffinches and c30/40+ Linnets. 

A very brief look at the sea this morning was rewarded with 2 Velvet Scoters and 5 Common Scoters. The Velvets were picked up on the sea off Orcombe Point shortly after 8am, just before they took off heading east. A mid-afternoon stroll around Orcombe farmland produced c40/50+ Chaffinches, 30/40+ Linnets, 3+ Reed Buntings and 1 Chiffchaff. A raft of c120 Kittiwakes was off Straight Point.

Yesterday - at least 8 Red-throated Divers past Orcombe Point early on and the 4 Eiders off the seafront. One Great Northern Diver off  Shelly Beach. 

Common Gulls, Goldeneyes

A sense of relief to see the male and female Goldeneye off Mudbank late this afternoon. Sadly my first sighting this year. They drifted this side of Cockle Sands but were never close.

Yesterday I counted 350+ Common Gulls before dark, the majority roosting off West Lodge. With them - 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls. Mudbank counts included c400 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Red-breasted Mergansers, 20 Great Crested Grebes, c60 Redshank, 12 Pintail, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits, 49 Grey Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, c35 Knot, 16 Wigeon and 3 Greenshank.

Off the seafront - 23+ Great Crested Grebes and 4 Eider.

Turf

Always good to see Avocets. They're so infrequent in Exmouth but I occasionally scope them further upriver and the odd one or two do show up off Mudbank from time to time. It was really quite unpleasantly cold today but Lu and I enjoyed a walk along the canal and ended up at the Double Locks for lunch.

Stonechat pair - a little bit of colour on an otherwise grey day.

Drake Pochard - nice to see but sadly not a species I'm likely to see in Exmouth these days.

This is the first time I've seen the Long-billed Dowitcher since it was in Exmouth, way back in September. Its grey winter plumage tones nicely mirroring the cold, grey February gloom.

Squabmoor Goosanders

Goosander - Squabmoor Reservoir - two redheads and an adult drake on today's dog-walk around the commons with my brother. Pleasantly surprised to see 8 Moorhens feeding together on grass at the dam end.

Mudbank counts today included c470 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Pintail, 38 Wigeon, c100 Redshank and a Peregrine. Plenty of  Goshawk action across the other side of the river with, at the very least, two  birds displaying.

Off the seafront - 2 Great Northern Divers, 4 Common Scoters and 7+ Great Crested Grebes.

5/2 - c30 Fieldfares on Withycombe Raleigh Common and the Little Grebe on Bystock Pool. At least 25 Cattle Egrets left their roost across the river and 4 Greenshank were off Mudbank along with c350 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

New Number

My phone packed up so I have a new one and a new number. With it went all my contacts so apologies if you've tried to contact me and I've not replied. I'm in the process of getting hold of those lost numbers but it may take me a while...

The brook (from Park Road) was a hive of activity today with Black Redstart, at least 1 Chiffchaff, a male Blackcap and a Firecrest appearing in back gardens in the short time I was stood watching.

Earlier, a quick look off Maer Rocks produced 4 Red-throated Divers and a Common Scoter. Mudbank - the wintering Cetti's Warbler appeared for the first time this year and off there - 65+ Bar-tailed Godwits, c90 Knot, 23 Sanderlings, c120 Common Gulls, 1 Mediterranean Gull, c40 Wigeon, 1 Greenshank and 7 Red-breasted Mergansers.

A bit of late news from 31/1 - a Goshawk up with 5 Buzzards across the other side of the river and off Mudbank - c100 Wigeon and 21 Pintail. A flock of 15 + Linnets was on Orcombe and off the seafront - 8+ Great Crested Grebes and male Common Scoter.

Firecrest.

Black Redstart.

The Little Grebe is still on Bystock Pool.