Tufties, Woodies

Five of eight Tufted Ducks off Mudbank this morning.

A later start and just a short spell on Orcombe this morning - 1 Grey Heron, 1 Brambling, 18+ Chaffinches, 1800+ Woodpigeons, 4 Goldcrests, 3 Song Thrushes, 4 Stonechats, 3 Starlings, 15 Stock Doves, 1 Rock Pipit, 3 Blackbirds, 6+ Pied Wagtails, 1 Blackcap, just 2 Chiffchaffs and a handful of Meadow Pipits.

Mudbank - 8 Tufted Ducks, 8 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 8 Grey Plovers the only species counted on a very short visit!

It's that time of year again - migrating Woodpigeons!

Stock Doves too.

22/10 - Orcombe for just over an hour before work - 5 Chiffchaffs, at least 50 Chaffinches, 8 Goldcrests, 30+ Meadow Pipits, c25 Pied Wagtails, 1+ Redpoll, c30 Siskins, 45+ Linnets, 45+ Goldfinches, 10+ Greenfinches, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Reed Bunting, 8 Starlings, 2 Blackcaps and 1 Firecrest.

21/10 from 0750 - 22+ Robins, 9 Goldcrests, 13 Blackbirds, c40 Meadow Pipits, 16 Woodpigeons, 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Song Thrushes, 2 Blackcaps, c90 Goldfinches, c40 Chaffinches, up to 7 Cirl Buntings (including three high west first thing), c20 Skylarks, 13+ Pied Wagtails, c40 Linnets, 7+ Siskins, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Rock Pipit, 16+ Swallows, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Greenfinches, 4 Stonechats, 30+ Jackdaws, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 3 Starlings.

Meadow Pipit - Orcombe Point.

RTP!

A quick scoot round the top fields of Orcombe Point after work produced this Red-throated Pipit. It called an emphatic 'pzeeh' when I initially flushed it but called much more weakly and infrequently thereafter. The reddish face presumably makes this a 2cy+ but I should probably check that first-winters don't ever show this. Note the much more obvious 'tramlines' and more contrasty plumage overall compared to the Meadow Pipit stood  just in front of it. This is the third I've found on Orcombe (with individuals on 23/10/09 and 9/10/12) and the second I've managed to grab a flukey photo of. Also there this afternoon - c20 Meadow Pipits, 2 Snipe and 6 Stonechats.

Mudbank - 1 first-winter Caspian Gull. My fourth this year but entirely expected with so many at the Warren.

Caspian Gull - Mudbank.

Soggy

Stonechat - Maer Valley.

Weather and visibility awful today so reduced to checking the relatively sheltered Maer Valley where Moorhen was the highlight. I've now found this species at four sites within the Exmouth parish. The only other species of any note were 1 Stonechat and 8 Chiffchaffs. Orcombe not properly covered but 5 Stonechats and 1 Firecrest were logged in sheltered spots. Little time looking off Mudbank this afternoon with just 60 Turnstones and 3 Mediterranean Gulls making it into a soggy notebook. 

Yesterday off Mudbank - lots of stuff not counted but 27 Great Crested Grebes, 11 Common Gulls, c150 Teal, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Sandwich Tern, 187 Shelduck, 7 Greenshank and 2 Mediterranean Gulls noted. Orcombe - 8 Goldcrests, 29 Pied Wagtails, 3 Song Thrushes and 1 drake Common Scoter offshore.

Straight Point at dawn yesterday.

Think this Yank Wigeon'ish oddity that I first saw on Friday  could be Wigeon x Gadwall hybrid although the Gadwall features are very minimal. I'm probably overlooking other possibilities. Whatever it is, it's axillaries are pure white and it's not a pure Wigeon! The Wigeon x Pintail hybrid is still knocking around too. Fun times!

A flash of the gleaming white axillaries.

GWEs, Spoonbill, Brambling

Great White Egret off Mudbank this afternoon. Earlier, this and another bird were a bit further upriver off Lympstone.

Orcombe Point from 0725 - My first Brambling of the autumn, 4+ Crossbills, 1 Wheatear, 2 Swallows, c25 Robins, 1+ Cirl Bunting, 5 Coal Tits, 1 Jay, 3 Reed Buntings, 17 Stock Doves, 2 Redpolls, 9+ Goldcrests, 6+ Blackbirds, c20 Chaffinches, 15+ Chiffchaffs, 50+ Meadow Pipits, 50+ Pied Wagtails, 7 Stonechats, c90+ Linnets, c70 Goldfinches, 10+ Greenfinches, 3 Song Thrushes, 28+ Siskins, c60 Starlings, c35 Skylarks and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Mudbank - 2 Great White Egrets, c60 Little Egrets, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Spoonbill (flew downriver at 1515 and landed on Cockle Sands), c800 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c235 Black-tailed Godwits, 33+ Ringed Plovers, 45+ Dunlin, 6 Greenshank, 4+ Grey Plovers, 51+ Turnstones, c70+ Teal, c1000+ Wigeon, several Pintail, 8 Mediterranean Gulls (7 adults and a second winter), 1 Goshawk, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, c70 Redshank, 210+ Curlew, 1 Sandwich Tern, 16+ Great Crested Grebes, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Pintail x Wigeon hybrid and 1 presumed Gadwall x Wigeon hybrid. Also - 1 Redpoll and 1 Rock Pipit over.

15/10 - a singing Firecrest after work, in scrub behind the benches at Mudbank.

14/10 - Orcombe - c30 Robins, 4 Blackbirds, c50 Meadow Pipits, 5 Song Thrushes, c20 Chiffchaffs, 8 Goldcrests, 75+ Pied Wagtails, 12 Chaffinches, c30 Linnets, c40 Goldfinches, 29+ Siskins, 2 Greenfinches, 1 Cirl Bunting, 1 Snipe, 7 Stonechats, c55 Starlings, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets and 1 Bullfinch.

Mudbank - 4 Greenshank, 10 Redshank, 10 Grey Plovers, c45 Dunlin, 22 Lapwings, 1 Turnstone, c90 Redshank, 14+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 4 Teal and 33 Little Egrets.

Lapwing - Mudbank on 14/10. Another 21 on Cockle Sands.

Crossbill, Dartford

Wheatear - Orcombe Point.

A joy to be out on the patch this morning with autumn migrants moving west and east. Virtually no wind but nice and overcast. Totals included 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Crossbill, 70+ Meadow Pipits, 45+ Pied Wagtails, 4+ Redpolls, 70+ Goldfinches, c90+ Linnets, 25+ Chaffinches, 45+ Swallows, 35+ Siskins and 5 Reed Buntings. Also - 1 Firecrest, 1 Wheatear, 33+ Robins, 8 Goldcrests, 12+ Blackbirds, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Stonechats, 1+ Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine, 1 Cirl Bunting, 4+ Greenfinches, 33+ Stock Doves, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Green Woodpecker, and 1 Grey Wagtail.

A minute's look off Mudbank produced 27 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Whimbrel. A flock of c15 Skylarks flew very low upriver.

Yesterday - Orcombe - 13 Blackbirds, 8 Goldcrests, 9+ Chiffchaffs, 15+ Greenfinches, 2 Cirl Buntings, 7 Stock Doves, 4 Starlings, 30+ Siskins, 2/3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Coal Tit, 35+ Pied Wagtails, 2 Song Thrushes, 11+ Chaffinches, 2 Grey Wagtails, 50+ Meadow Pipits and 70+ Linnets.

An afternoon walk on Woodbury Common with Lu produced a nice flock of 16 Crossbills.
Mudbank - c580 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 242 Shelduck, 23+ Great Crested Grebes, c95 Black-tailed Godwits, 21 Ringed Plovers, 8 Sanderling, 1 Turnstone, 2 Grey Plovers, 7+ Redshank, c1000+ Wigeon and c90 Carrion Crows.
8/10 - Orcombe for an hour before work in the drizzle - 1 Dartford Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Collared Doves, 7+ Chiffchaffs, 5 Goldcrests, 4 Stock Doves, c50+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Blackcap, 11+ Chaffinches, 46+ Siskins, 1 Coal Tit and 7+ Goldfinches.

Mediterranean Gull.

Whitethroat, Tufties

 Whitethroat - Orcombe Point. It's been a terrible autumn for Whitethroats locally. This is the first one I've seen in well over a month!

Orcombe from 0720 'til 0930 - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Redpoll, c50 Pied Wagtails, 22+ Siskins, 140+ Linnets, 12+ Greenfinches, 120+ Goldfinches, 90+ finch sp, c40 Chaffinches, 9+ Skylarks c180 Meadow Pipits, 1 Whitethroat, c15 Chiffchaffs, 6 Goldcrests, 1 Stonechat, 5 Song Thrushes, 6 Swallows, 7 House Martins, 9+ Blackbirds, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Coal Tit.

Mudbank - 3 Tufted Ducks, c200+ Pintail, 1 Whimbrel, 350+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c260 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 4 Grey Plovers, 23 Ringed Plovers, c50 Teal, 1 Sandwich Tern and a flock of 13 Siskins over. One Goshawk over the other side of the river.

Yesterday - 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese with c300 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 18 Great Crested Grebes. Three Buzzards and an adult Mediterranean Gull in a newly ploughed field on Orcombe.

Goosander

Straight Point with rain after dawn.

Some unexpectedly good, albeit brief, overhead passage on Orcombe this morning. Stuff was moving in a short period between dawn and the arrival of a band of heavy rain passing out to sea. Counts are fairly rough as mixed flocks of pipits and finches came through low and fast together, making counting tricky. Totals - 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Goosander, 1+ Redpoll, c60+ Siskins, c35 Pied Wagtails, 6+ Swallows, c60+ Goldfinches, 3 Greenfinches, 2 Curlew, 8+ Chaffinches, c180+ Meadow Pipits and 2 Skylarks. Also 2 Stonechats and 5+ Chiffchaffs logged.
Off Mudbank - Few counts made but 250+ Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Knot, 5 Grey Plovers, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose and 265+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese noted. Best was 4 Golden Plovers that flew through and headed north, upriver.

Yesterday off there - 1 Wheatear, c290 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c200 Black-tailed Godwits,  5 Grey Plovers and a count of c400+ Pintail in far from ideal, windy conditions.

Garganey

Garganey off Mudbank this afternoon.

Mudbank counts on this afternoon's incoming tide included 1 Garganey, c30 Knot, c140+ Teal, 175+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 2 juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits, c220 Shelduck, 42+ Little Egrets, 146+ Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Greenshank, 2 Grey Plovers, 41+ Redshank and the returning Pintail x Wigeon hybrid.

Yesterday - 49 Redshank, 8 Greenshank, 4 Grey Plovers, 8 Dunlin, 35 Black-tailed Godwits, c270+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 1 juv Bar-tailed Godwit.