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.
Hi Matt. Long time no see, and just catching up with this Hoopoe sighting. Nice find! must have been a real exciting moment after all those long, less successful treks round Orcombe.
ReplyDeleteHope all's well with you and the family ... must get out to do some birding and/or mothing with you this year.
Cheers
Nick
Hi Nick - really good to hear from you. Yes Hoopoe was great. Back to slogging round there with no birds though! Enjoying your mothing exploits as always. Will pop over and let you have my new number soon. My old phone packed up and I lost all my contacts. Still trying to get back up to speed. Hopefully see you soon. Matt.
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