Willow Warblers

Best of a quick whiz round Orcombe top fields after work was 2 Willow Warblers feeding quietly in a sunlit stretch of hedgerow. Seven Brent Geese headed high east and my first two Swallows of the year hawked over the far edge of Maer valley. Otherwise about half a dozen Meadow Pipits and 2 Stock Doves were noted.

BTD

Thanks to messages from Kev and Mark I managed to scope a Black-throated Diver off the seafront this evening. It was a little distant but continues a good little run of this species for me in Exmouth, with recent birds on January 28th this year and November 29th last year. Also off there four Eider.

Otherwise quiet today with 50+ Cattle Egrets on wrecks across the river first thing and 20 Wigeon along with 19 Redshank, c90 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Sandwich Tern and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers off Mudbank.

Hoopoe

 Hoopoe - one of very few migrants on Orcombe Point this morning.

An atypically productive spell of birding this mornning in Exmouth. A thirty-five minute sea-watch from the raised beach huts from 0620 produced 7 Sandwich Terns, 4 Red-throated Divers, 10 Common Scoters,  7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and an 'in off' Kestrel. 

Orcombe Point - 1 Hoopoe, 6 Chiffchaffs, 15+ Meadow Pipits, 20 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Chaffinches, 2 Blackcaps and 1 male Cirl Bunting.

Maer Valley - 2 Black Redstarts (male and female), 1 Redwing, 2 Little Egrets and 8 Ring-necked Parakeets.

Mudbank was  inexplicably good too with a flock of 23 Sandwich Terns, 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Red Kite and a singing Willow Warbler. Also off there - 121 Curlew, 1 Knot, 2 Grey Plovers, 14+ Redshank, 22 Wigeon,  4 Canada Geese, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Peregrine. A steady procession of Lesser Black-backed Gulls headed upriver. I really wish I'd counted them!

This is only the second one I've seen in Exmouth. The first turned up in John and Marie Wilson's garden in Foxholes back in August 2017. It's also only the second one I've found, the first being way back in April 2001 on the Teign estuary. 

Migrants

Sandwich Tern - one of three off Mudbank today. Six birds were off Orcombe Point first thing.

Orcombe Point early doors - 6 Sandwich Terns, 1 Wheatear, 5 Chiffchaffs, 1 Blackcap, 13 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 30+ Meadow Pipits and 1 Stock Dove. Nearby in Maer Valley - c130 Jackdaws, 1 Wheatear, 1 Black Redstart and 2 Little Egrets.

At a local site just outside the Exmouth boundary - 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Little Grebes and 1 Black Redstart.

Mudbank - 3 Sandwich Terns, c250 Dark-bellied Brent Geese,  5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 16 Wigeon and 1 Greenshank.

Male Wheatear - Orcombe Point.

Rock Pipit.

Female Wheatear - Maer Valley.

Male Black Redstart - Maer Valley. The second of two individuals discovered today.

Orcombe Gos

A post work, late afternoon whiz round Orcombe revealed just 4 Meadow Pipits and 2 Chiffchaffs on the migrant front but a Goshawk was a real surprise, presumably drawn into the area by numbers of corvids and pigeons. This is my first ever record on Orcombe Point.

Sandwich Tern

A single Sandwich Tern off Maer Rocks first thing this morning, flying into a freezing cold south-easterly before swinging back towards the Warren. Also off there - a handful of Kittiwakes and Gannets plus a lonesome Guillemot. Just 4 Chiffchaffs on Orcombe Point and off Mudbank - 80+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 23 Wigeon, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Greenshank and 28 Redshank. Late yesterday afternoon off there - 14 Red-breasted Mergansers, 11 Wigeon and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose.

Moon Set Sun Rise

I missed the latter stages of this morning's lunar eclipse as it became veiled in light cloud.

Orcombe Point from first light - 10+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Firecrests and 11 Common Scoters past. Cold too.

Mudbank - 2 Pintail, 11 Wigeon, c15+ Sanderling, 18 Grey Plovers, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Knot and 1 Greenshank. Nearby at West Lodge - 1 Firecrest, 2 Chiffchaffs and 3+ Redwing. The female Black Redstart was again in the brook, viewed from Park Road.

Redshank - Duckpond.

The female Black Redstart is still wintering in the brook.

Black Red

This Black Redstart is presumably a migrant as earlier winter searches of this site drew a blank.

Orcombe Point this morning - at least 10 Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest, 14 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Snipe, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 15+ Meadow Pipits and a flock of 100+ Linnets. A Black Redstart was below the firing range in Sandy Bay.

Mudbank - 12 Wigeon, 120+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, c45 Common Gulls, 12 Redshank and 1 Greenshank.

The Little Grebe is still on Bystock Pond.

9/3 - Orcombe Point - 3 Red-throated Divers, 1 Redwing, 2 Firecrests, 7+ Stock Doves, 12+ Pied Wagtails and the resident Red-legged Partridge still. Off Mudbank - 7 Red-breasted Mergansers, 13 Wigeon, 48 Shelduck, 2 Greenshank, 130+ Curlew, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Peregrine and a female Goshawk across the other side of the river.

One of the Pale-bellied Brent Geese was with dwindling numbers of Dark-bellied birds on Sunday.

Nuthatch - Bystock.

Manxie

My first Manx Shearwater of the year was lingering off Orcombe Point first light this morning. Feeding in amongst some auks, it soon headed off east. Also seen during a very short watch - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Red-throated Divers, 48 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Fulmar along with numbers of  auks, Kittiwakes and a couple Gannets. Orcombe Point was pretty much bird-less with just 1 Chiffchaff, 6 Snipe and c15 Meadow Pipits logged. A quick look off Mudbank mid-afternoon produced 40 Common Gulls. A male Blackcap was in scrub beside the railway line.

Yesterday - Orcombe Point - 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose with c50 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Also - 2 Canada Geese over and 3 Chiffchaffs. Off the seafront - 4 Eider, 3 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver, 8+ Great Crested Grebes and a small group of Common Dolphins.

Mudbank counts - c370 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c75 Turnstones, 9 Ringed Plovers, 4 Wigeon, 32 Redshank, c105 Curlew, 2 Greenshank, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, c55 Grey Plovers and c25 Knot. Nearby off Shelly Beach - 1 Great Northern Diver and 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Catch-up

Spotted Redshank - LORP

Lu and I had a walk around the Lower Otter this afternoon. The beautiful weather tempting us beyond Exmouth's confines and towards a change of scenery. Highlights were Spotted Redshank, Water Rail and Common Sandpiper. Withycombe Raleigh Common - 2 Dartford Warblers.

3/3 - Bystock - a pair of Moorhens and 1 Peregrine.

1/3 - Mudbank - 10 Red-breasted Mergansers, 22 Pintail and a Goshawk scoped across the other side of the river. Orcombe Point - 6 Chiffchaffs, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Reed Buntings, c20+ Chaffinches, 1 Snipe and 1 Jay. Shelly Beach - 1 Great Northern Diver.

28/2 - 8 Ring-necked Parakeets beside the Maer carpark just after dawn. Mudbank - 1 fw Mediterranean Gull and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers. Orcombe Point - 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Cirl Buntings, 4 Rock Pipits, c20/30 Chaffinches, 1+ Reed Bunting and c180 Kittiwakes on Straight Point ledges.

Water Rail

Common Sandpiper

Peregrine - Orcombe Point.

Male Cirl Bunting - Orcombe Point 28/2. Female below.

Roe Deer - Orcombe Point.