I personally recorded 178 species in the parish of Exmouth this year, with several species conspicuous by their absence. Traditionally 'common' species were all in very short supply over both migration periods but this is now absolutely normal. Bird of the year was the astonishing Lesser Crested Tern - a truly sensational patch first! Best finds included Hoopoe, 29 Glossy Ibises and Red-throated Pipit.
A sincere 'Thank You' to everyone who reads this blog and to anyone who has contacted me with info. A special mention must go to my lifelong friend - Mark Bailey who keeps me abreast of what's going on locally - knowing full-well that I'm not on any social media platforms and not holding it against me! Huge thanks also to Lee and Kev at the Warren who give me the heads up when a good Warren bird has the potential to become an Exmouth bird!
I say this every year but I'm quite proud of the feature that allows you to instantly access all previous bumper reviews - just click on the chosen year in the right-hand margin of this page to see how other years compare.
Exmouth highlights (in order of species appearance) included 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 3+ Siberian Chiffchaffs, 1 Red-necked Grebe, 8 Black Redstarts, 1 Jack Snipe, [1 White-tailed Eagle], 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Velvet Scoters, 1 Goshawk, 1 Hoopoe, up to 7 Little Gulls, 10 Cattle Egrets, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 8 Yellow-legged Gulls, 1 Ruff, 1 Roseate Tern, up to 6 Black Terns, 3 Great Egrets, 9 Glossy Ibis (with a further 20 seen distantly from Mudbank), 1 Sabine's Gull, 1 Little Stint, 5 Caspian Gulls, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Garganey, 4 Goosanders, 2 Spoonbills, 1 Red-throated Pipit, 1 Greater Scaup, 1 Merlin, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Spotted Redshank, Lesser Crested Tern and 3 Egyptian Geese.
Noteworthy high counts included 67 Cormorants on Bull Hill on 14/1, c455 Mallard off Mudbank on 8/8, c800+ Common Terns roosting on Cockle Sands on 17/9, 780+ Teal off Mudbank on 30/10 and 2350+ Gannets past Orcombe Point in 70 minutes on 4/11.
An hour's sea-watch on January 1st produced 220+ Gannets and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. The wintering Yellow-browed Warbler was in gardens at the bottom of Belle Vue Road and the Little Grebe was still at Bystock. Three Eiders were off the seafront.
On the 2nd I connected with the Orcombe Point Siberian Chiffchaff and found a Red-necked Grebe off Shelly Beach. The Yellow-browed Warbler was again seen briefly.
A Black Redstart was beside Withycombe Brook on the 3rd and 2 Great Northern Divers were off Shelly Beach. The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was with c120 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the Imperial rugby ground and 8+ Lesser Redpolls were in woodland along Castle Lane, along with a Firecrest.
Highlights on the 4th included a Jack Snipe and Dartford Warbler on local heathland, plus a Firecrest between Mudbank and West Lodge.
Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were with 500+ Black-headed Gulls, c110 Starlings and 60+ Pied Wagtails on Orcombe Point on the 5th and the 2 wintering female Cirl Buntings were on the Imperial recreation ground.
On the 8th a Firecrest was on Orcombe Point, in scrub beside the Geoneedle.
A flock of c30/40+ Redwings was at West Lodge on the 10th and nearby the Firecrest was again beside the cycle track.
A single Purple Sandpiper was on rocks below Orcombe Point on the 11th and again on the 12th when c70 Bar-tailed Godwits were off Mudbank - an exceptional count for there.
An Isle of Wight release White-tailed Eagle was in Powderham Park on the 14th and duly scoped from the back garden. A flock of 67 Cormorants on Bull was the most I've ever seen together in Exmouth. Twenty-two Red-throated Divers flying into the bay was my highest January count though birds were logged on a number of dates throughout the month.
A Firecrest was logged on a quick whiz round Bystock on the 17th and the Black Redstart was again in the brook. A Firecrest was on Orcombe Point the following day and on the 19th I finally year-ticked Common Scoter with three birds together off Orcombe Point.
On the 22nd I counted 95+ Knot on Cockle Sands and on the 24th there were 28 Sanderlings on Bull Hill.
On the 26th a Firecrest was along Halsdon Avenue and at least 140 Common Gulls were counted on Cockle Sands.
On the 28th a Black-throated Diver flew past the lifeboat station and a female Eider flew in to join the long-staying three birds.
On the 31st - a Goshawk was scoped across the other side of the river.
Black Redstart - Withycombe Brook 3/1/25.
Female Bullfinch - Orcombe Point 8/1/25.
Stonechat - West Lodge 10/1/25. Despite searching many parts of the parish in January, this was the only wintering Stonechat I saw. At the tail end of the year wintering males were discovered at both West Lodge and the Imperial recreation ground.
Immature drake Eider - Exmouth seafront 17/1/25. One of three (two males and a female) off the seafront throughout January.
On February 2nd the Cetti's Warbler put in it's first appearance of the year at Mudbank. Nearby in the brook, off Park Road, the female Black Redstart showed well along with a male Blackcap and a Firecrest. Mudbank counts included c90 Knot, 65+ Bar-tailed Godwits and c120 Common Gulls.
On the 5th c30 Fieldfares were on Withycombe Raleigh Common and the Little Grebe was still on Bystock Pool.
On the 7th c470 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were counted off Mudbank along with a single Pale-bellied Brent Goose and c100 Redshank. At least 2 Goshawks were scoped across the other side of the river.
On the 8th Lu and I went for a walk at Exminster Marshes, enjoying great views of the Long-billed Dowitcher along the way.
On the 11th a decent count of c350 Common Gulls was made off Mudbank - the majority of birds roosting off West Lodge. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were also present as well as 13 Red-breasted Mergansers.
Two Goldeneyes (male and female) were off Mudbank on the 12th - my first Exmouth birds in 2025.
On the 15th two Velvet Scoters were off Orcombe Point early on, before flying off east. At least 3 Reed Buntings were with c40/50+ Chaffinches in a maize field beside the sewage works. The following day c25 Stock Doves were in the same area and on the 18th a large flock of Jackdaws there numbered c3/400+ birds.
On the 21st 31 Red-throated Divers flew west past Orcombe Point during a thirty minute sea-watch and a couple days later, on the 23rd, a seventy minute watch produced a further 60 birds. A single Red-throat-throated Diver off Mudbank was only my second ever off there.
Counts on the 28th included c180 Kittiwakes on Straight Point ledges and 8 Ring-necked Parakeets on the Maer.
Little Grebe - Bystock 2/2/25. One of many common species that are inexplicably rare in the Exmouth parish.
A pair of Moorhens was on Bystock Pool on March 3rd - the first time I've seen two birds there in ages!
Mudbank wader counts on the 7th included c75 Turnstones, c55 Grey Plovers and c25 Knot.
On the 8th my first Manx Shearwater of the year was lingering off Orcombe Point before heading east.
A Redwing and 2 Firecrests were on Orcombe on the 9th and on the 12th I recorded a flock of c100 Linnets and at least 10 Chiffchaffs. A female Black Redstart was on rocks below the firing range in Sandy Bay.
The wintering female Black Redstart was again seen in the brook on the 14th and at West Lodge a single Firecrest and 3 Redwings were recorded.
Fourteen Red-breasted Mergansers were off Mudbank on the 17th - probably the sum total of birds wintering on the Exe this year and certainly the most saw! A single Sandwich Tern was off the seafront the following day.
A Goshawk on Orcombe was a lovely surprise, late in the afternoon, on the 20th.
The following day I recorded my first Wheatear on Orcombe and a fabulous male Black Redstart was in Maer Valley alongside a female Wheatear.
The 22nd was a real red-letter day for migrants with a Hoopoe discovered on Orcombe Point, 2 Black Redstarts and a Redwing in Maer Valley and a flock of 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese alongside a flock of 23 Sandwich Terns off Mudbank. My first Willow Warbler of the year was briefly in song there and a Red Kite was scoped over Powderham.
On the evening of the 26th a Black-throated Diver was off the seafront along with 4 Eider.
Late on the 27th there were 2 Willow Warblers on Orcombe and my first 2 Swallows of the year were over Maer Valley.
My first record of Goshawk for Orcombe Point - a late afternoon individual on 20/3. This bird was hunting from a relatively small farmland copse, no doubt attracted by the many corvids and pigeons feeding in the nearby area.
Hoopoe - Orcombe Point 22/3/25. An exciting 'top fields' discovery during the early stages of an unprecedented national influx. It didn't hang around.
Willow Warbler - Orcombe Point 27/3/25. Two on this date were my second and third of the year following my first on the 22/3 - a singing bird at Mudbank.
Gannet - Orcombe Point 30/3/25. Gannets are present offshore throughout most of the year but a breath-taking passage took place in early November, peaking on the 4th with 2350+ recorded moving south.
A very quiet start to April before Lu and I flew for a week-long break in Fuerteventura. I recorded my first Whitethroat of the year on Orcombe on the 14th.
An Arctic Tern heading upriver off Mudbank was the highlight on the 15th, followed by a quick trip up to Somerset for a Whiskered Tern.
On the 16th an Arctic Tern was off Mudbank along with a single Black-tailed Godwit, 24 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 8 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
The 17th produced a single Grey Plover in the estuary and a singing Sedge Warbler in the West Lodge reedbed.
Following some heavy and persistent rain on the 19th I logged 5 Little Terns, 62+ Sandwich Terns, 13 Sanderling, 1 first-summer Mediterranean Gull, 85+ Pale-bellied Brent Geese and my first one or two Sand Martins of the spring.
My first Yellow Wagtail of the spring was with cattle on Orcombe on the 20th and 49 Whimbrel were counted off Mudbank. The following day 2 Lesser Whitethroats were in song on Orcombe and 6 Wheatears were recorded. A flock of c25 Black-tailed Godwits were off Mudbank and 2 drake Red-breasted Mergansers were in the estuary.
Five Greenland-type Wheatears were on Orcombe on the 22nd.
Mudbank counts on the 23rd included a drake Common Scoter, 1 Common Sandpiper, 68 Whimbrel and 17 Pale-bellied Brent Geese. A big leap in Black-headed Gulls with c150 present.
Seven Eider (2 adult males and 5 females) were distantly off Mudbank on the 25th and the drake Common Scoter lingered.
I actually put some effort into counting c900/1000 Herring Gulls (and 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls) off Mudbank on the 25th. A Common Sandpiper was off the Imperial rec.
Orcombe records on the 26th included my first Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Whimbrel, 4+ Greenland-type Wheatears, 20+ Swallows and 5 House Martins.
Two Great Northern Divers flew high and almost over Orcombe Pont on the 27th and a Sedge Warbler was singing in Bystock DWT reserve.
Eighteen Red Kites were recorded (mostly from the back garden heading west) on the 29th as well as at least 6 Swifts. A Garden Warbler was singing from cliff-top scrub on Orcombe. Off the Imperial - 220+ Black-headed Gulls and a first-summer Mediterranean Gull. A Common Sandpiper and 55 Whimbrel were off Mudbank.
Whitethroat - Orcombe Point 23/4/25.
Another 24 Red Kites were watched from the back garden on May 2nd. Orcombe Point, on the 3rd, produced 1 Whinchat and 2 Red Kites with another 5 Red Kites from Mudbank.
The following day another Lesser Whitethroat was on Orcombe and 58 Whimbrel were off Mudbank.
My second Whinchat of the spring was on Orcombe on the 5th and the Lesser Whitethroat was still present.
A first-summer Little Gull was off the seafront on the 7th and a Spotted Flycatcher was on Orcombe Point on the 9th.
On the 11th an Arctic Skua was off Orcombe Point and 8 Cattle Egrets were off the Imperial on the 13th.
On the 14th I went to Exminster Marshes to see a Temminck's Stint.
Highlight on the 18th was a lovely Curlew Sandpiper that appeared off the Imperial with c25 Sanderling having flown a short distance from Dawlish Warren.
Two Great Northern Divers were seen off the seafront on the 26th and the male Cirl Bunting was again in song on Orcombe Point, bringing yet another desperately poor May to a close.
Spotted Flycatcher - Orcombe Point 9/5/25.
A very quiet start to June but on the 9th a Little Tern was fishing off the lifeboat station with 7 Sandwich Terns and 4 Common Terns. Black-headed Gulls numbered 125+ off the Imperial.
On the 11th 2 Great Northern Divers flew over Orcombe Point but a juvenile Stonechat and 3 Coal Tits were more of a surprise. The male Cirl Bunting was again in song and 20+ Common Scoters flew past. An Arctic Skua was off the lifeboat station the following day.
On the 14th at least 15 Mediterranean Gulls were amongst a big feeding concentration of gulls off the seafront.
Two Red Kites headed upriver on the 20th and on the 21st both Osprey and Spoonbill were scoped from the back garden. Off Mudbank - c130 Black-headed Gulls (including the year's first juvenile) and 45 Curlew.
Things picked up a little on the 25th with a fs Little Gull and 2 Common Terns off Mudbank. Nearby 2 Reed Warblers were singing in the West Lodge reedbed and a pair of Spoonbills were seen way upriver. The feeding flock off the seafront consisted of c1000+ Herring Gulls with smaller numbers of smaller gulls and c65+ Manx Shearwaters.
Counts from Mudbank on the 27th included the fs Little Gull, 1 Common Tern, c195 Black-headed Gulls, c70 Carrion Crows and c90 Curlew.
Juvenile Tawny Owl - Bystock 21/6/25. One of at least 2 juvs seen along with an adult bird.
One of two Reed Warblers singing in the West Lodge reedbed on 25/6/25.
Six Common Sandpipers were on Maer Rocks on July 1st and a second summer (3cy) Yellow-legged Gull was on Warren View playing fields.
At least 1 Crossbill was over Bystock on the 6th and Mudbank counts on the 9th included 148+ Curlew, 30+ Mediterranean Gulls and c370+ Black-headed Gulls.
On the 11th there were at least 100 Mediterranean Gulls on Cockle Sands along with 3 Common Terns and c20+ Sandwich Terns.
A Little Tern was with 4+ Common Terns and 47+ Sandwich Terns on Bull Hill on the 13th. A Siskin flew over the house.
On the 18th - 40+ Sandwich Terns and 13 Sanderling off the seafront. Five Common Terns were with 100+ Sandwich Terns on Bull Hill. Off Mudbank - Mallard numbers jumped to 79 and 29 Whimbrel were counted with a single Grey Plover. The following day a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was off there and the Mallard flock numbered 117 birds.
On the 21st 2 Yellow Wagtails flew north over Shelly Beach and 100+ Sandwich Terns were still off there. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was off the seafront.
On the 22nd 1 or 2 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were off the seafront and 200+ Mallard were off Mudbank.
Lu and I were lucky enough to spend the remainder of July in St Lucia.
Common Sandpipers - Maer Rocks 1/7/25.
On August 3rd a juvenile Cirl Bunting was evidence of breeding for a second successive year on Orcombe Point. The Mallard flock numbered c350+ birds on the 4th.
A Shoveler off Mudbank on the 6th was my first for the year. The Curlew flock numbered 228 birds and Whimbrel numbered 64. A Garden Warbler on Orcombe Point was noteworthy.
A Great Northern Diver was off Orcombe along with 2 Arctic Skuas on the 7th and the 5cy Yellow-legged Gull was back in the recycling centre for its 5th year!
A Cattle Egret was in with the Little Egret flock off Mudbank on the 8th and the Mallard flock consisted of c455 birds.
A juvenile Stonechat was on Orcombe on the 9th and 3 Spotted Flycatchers were recorded there on the 11th.
Another 2 Spotted Flycatchers were in the Bystock reserve on the 12th and the first 5 Teal of the autumn were off Mudbank.
An Osprey was off Mudbank on the 16th along with the first returning Kingfisher of the autumn. The following day the first three Wigeon of the autumn arrived.
A Ruff briefly joined a flock of c110 Common Terns in flight over Bull Hill on the 18th and nearby a Spoonbill was off Mudbank, along with c100 Ringed Plovers and 9 Knot.
A really good day on the 19th with Hobby on Orcombe, 3 or 4 Arctic Skuas offshore and a Roseate Tern, with 185+ Common Terns off Shelly Beach. The day improved further with the Ruff on Bull Hill and off Mudbank - 1 Black Tern, 1 Little Tern c255 Teal and 1 Osprey.
Things remained interesting on the 20th with 600+ Common Terns, 1 Little Tern and 2 Ospreys off Mudbank. A Great White Egret flew south down the other side of the river.
On the 22nd 16+ Balearic Shearwaters were off Orcombe and Bystock held 1 Redstart and 1 Spotted Flycatcher.
My first Siskin of the autumn and 38 Balearic Shearwaters were recorded from Orcombe the following day and Bystock produced 1 juvenile Whinchat and 1 Spotted Flycatcher.
A red letter day on the 24th with a flock of 7 Glossy Ibis spotted from the back garden. My first ever self-found and the vanguard of a major national arrival involving hundreds of birds.
Orcombe sprang to life on the 25th with 40+ Yellow Wagtails, 1 Redstart, 1 Tree Pipit and 10 lateish Swifts logged.
A Spotted Flycatcher was on Withycombe Raleigh Common on the 29th.
A mid-afternoon sea-watch on the 30th produced 1 juvenile Arctic Tern, 3 Arctic Skuas, 4 Manx Shearwaters and 1 Balearic Shearwater.
Another productive day on the 31st with 2 juvenile Black Terns and a Little Tern with c460 Common Terns off Cockle Sands. A flock of 22 Pale-bellied Brent Geese was new in and the 5cy Yellow-legged Gull was again in the recycling centre.
The returning Yellow-legged Gull, now in its 5th calendar year. Photographed in the recycling centre on the 7/8.
One of three Fulmars apparently inspecting cliffs on Orcombe Point on 24/8.
A serendipitous scan from the back garden, mid football match, on 24/8 produced this flock of 7 Glossy Ibises. Finally on the 'finds' list after lots of near misses over the years! This flock marked the start of an unprecedented national influx.
Yellow Wagtail - one of at least 40 birds in with cattle along Gore Lane on the 25/8.
Rosy Knot-horn Oncocera semirubella 26/8/25. A long-awaited species that lived up to the hype!
September started well and continued to produce good birds throughout. On the 2nd a look off Mudbank produced 2 juvenile Little Gulls, 1 juvenile Black Tern and at least 1 juvenile Arctic Tern with c335+ Common Terns. Also 3 Common Sandpipers. Off the seafront - 2 Arctic Skuas and c20/30+ Balearic Shearwaters.
Excitement on the 4th with a juvenile Sabine's Gull off the seafront. A juvenile Black Tern was off the Imperial rec along with 4 Pale-bellied Brent Geese.
On the 5th the Sabine's Gull was still present as were the 2 juvenile Little Gulls. Two Ospreys and 262 Curlew were off Mudbank and 2 Tree Pipits flew over.
A good day on the 6th with a Little Stint amongst Dunlin on Cockle Sands and a beautiful first-winter Caspian Gull off Mudbank. Nearby - a juvenile Glossy Ibis showed down to a few metres in Duckpond.
A juvenile Whinchat on Orcombe was 'bird of the day' on the 7th.
On the 8th 40 Wigeon and a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull were off Mudbank and 13+ Yellow Wagtails were on Orcombe, along with a single Redstart.
On the 9th a Hobby paused briefly on Orcombe and an evening Common Tern roost on Cockle Sands contained c500+ birds and a single Black Tern. The 5cy Yellow-legged Gull was again on the cricket pitch.
On the 12th 9 Yellow Wagtails and a Spotted Flycatcher were recorded on Orcombe and a Golden Plover flew over Mudbank where a second-winter Caspian Gull lingered. The Wigeon flock numbered 158 birds and 20 Pintail were logged as well as c400+ Common Terns.
Early on the 13th a sea-watch from the raised beach huts produced 12 Common Scoters, 2 Arctic Skuas and c115 Balearic Shearwaters. Nearby - an Osprey flew upriver and 8 Yellow Wagtails were still on the dung heap.
On the 16th a female-type Gadwall was off Mudbank - my first of the year. Four Black Swans were scoped well upriver.
The following day a flock of c800+ Common Terns rested on Cockle Sands with at least 1 juvenile Arctic Tern and a juvenile Black Tern.
The Common Tern count was c600+ on the 18th when they were joined by a 1cy Little Gull and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose.
On the 19th an Osprey was circling over the Deaf Academy with a fish and another two were seen off Mudbank along with a distant Goshawk (across the other side of the river). The Pintail count off there had risen to 73 and a mobile Nuthatch was on Orcombe Point.
On the 20th a 1cy Little Gull flew over the Imperial rec and continued over the town centre. The next day I twitched the Otter Baird's Sandpiper and whilst watching it a flock of 11 Spoonbills flew over.
The 23rd was a good day with a surprise winter-plumaged Slavonian Grebe off Shelly Beach and a high, south-bound flock of 19 Glossy Ibis scoped from Mudbank. Also seen - a big female Goshawk over the other side of the river as well as 25 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c380+ Wigeon and c40 Sandwich Terns.
A single juvenile Glossy Ibis was off Mudbank on the evening of the 24th.
Off Mudbank on the 27th - another first-winter Caspian Gull along with a first-winter Little Gull, 1 Osprey, c700 Wigeon, c180 Pintail, c270 Curlew, 208 Shelduck and my first 2 Lapwings of the year.
Highlights on the 28th were Grasshopper Warbler on Orcombe Point and the first returning Red-breasted Merganser off Mudbank. Spotted Flycatcher on Orcombe was also noteworthy.
The scarcities kept coming with a lovely Marsh Harrier west over Orcombe on the 30th. Migrant counts worth a mention were c30 Chiffchaffs, 27+ Chaffinches and 38+ Siskins.
Juvenile Sabine's Gull - Exmouth seafront 4/9/25.
First-winter Caspian Gull - Mudbank 6/9/25.
Juvenile Glossy Ibis - Duckpond 6/9/25.
One of at least four migrant Latticed Heaths on Orcombe on 7/9.
Juvenile Whinchat - Orcombe Point 7/9/25.
Now a rarity on the Exe - I was pleased to get the Slavonian Grebe off Shelly beach on 23/9.
Grasshopper Warbler - Orcombe Point 28/9/25. A poor spring (no birds) and autumn for 'Groppers'. This was my only one and quite a late one at that.
Marsh Harrier - Orcombe Point 30/9/25. I'm lucky if I see one of these a year in Exmouth. Unpredictable in their appearances, it's very much a case of being in the right place at the right time!
It was good to clap eyes on one of my favourite species on October 3rd - a female-type Garganey off Mudbank.
Counting Pintail off Mudbank on the 4th was hampered by a strong westerly blast but c400+ were noted. The following day a redhead Goosander flew west past Orcombe where at least 60 Siskins, 1+ Redpoll and a Yellow Wagtail were also recorded.
A Whitethroat on Orcombe and 3 Tufted Ducks off Mudbank were the standout birds on the 7th.
A Dartford Warbler was on Orcombe on the 8th and Mudbank counts the following day included 242 Shelduck and c580 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
A Crossbill flew over Orcombe on the 11th as did a late'ish Tree Pipit.
On the 14th 22 Lapwings were off Mudbank and the following day a Firecrest was in song in Oaks behind the benches.
A busy day on the 17th with 2 Great White Egrets, 1 Spoonbill, 800 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 210+ Curlew and 8 Mediterranean Gulls amidst good numbers of other waders and wildfowl off Mudbank and autumn-first Brambling plus 4+ Crossbills over Orcombe.
Highlight on the 19th was a Moorhen in Maer Valley and the 20th produced my third Orcombe Red-throated Pipit - undoubtedly my 'find of the year'! My fourth Caspian Gull (a first-winter) off Mudbank was very much over-shadowed but lovely all the same!
Woodpigeon movement commenced over Orcombe on the 24th with c1800 logged. A flock of 8 Tufted Ducks was off Mudbank along with 8 Pale-bellied Brent Geese.
Approximately 9000 Woodpigeons flew over Orcombe on the 25th and one of three Brambling actually landed at the top of the sewage works.
One Yellowhammer, c13000 Woodpigeons, 16+ Redpolls and a late Swallow were recorded on Orcombe on the 26th.
A Greater Scaup was a pleasant surprise off Mudbank n the 29th.
A high count of 780+ Teal was off Mudbank on the 30th and a count of c110 Mallard was of note. The back garden held a Firecrest.
The 31st produced a Merlin south across the bay along with 4 Great Northern Divers and 1 Arctic Skua. A Cetti's Warbler was at Mudbank and off there - 1 Red-breasted Merganser and a 3cy Yellow-legged Gull. A lingering Whimbrel was in Duckpond and a Cirl Bunting was on the Imperial recreation ground.
Some October vis-mig totals, over a number of mornings, included c800 Meadow Pipits, c640 Chaffinches, c20 Reed Buntings, 14+ Bramblings, c330 Siskins and c40 Redpolls.
Initially flushed and picked up on call, this Red-throated Pipit very fortuitously chose to plonk down on the only patch of bare ground in a very large, weedy field. A rushed couple of photos nicely capture most of the plumage differences to the accompanying Meadow Pipits but I wasn't expecting it to be red-faced! Presumably not a first-winter but best aged as a 2cy+.
Red-throated Pipit - Orcombe Point 20/10/25.
Brambling - Orcombe Point 25/1/25. The first time a photograph of this species has appeared on a bumper review. Quite simply there is nowhere within the Exmouth parish that regularly attracts this species to feed.
On November 2nd c8000 Woodpigeons flew over Orcombe Point. The next day 1550+ Gannets streamed south past Orcombe and 11 Knot were off Mudbank.
A seabird extravaganza on the 4th with a southerly blow producing 2350+ Gannets south along with a Sooty Shearwater, 4 Great Northern Divers, 2 Red-throated Divers and thousands of auks and Kittiwakes.
On the 6th I recorded my first Green Sandpiper of the year on Orcombe along with 1 Yellowhammer, 8+ Brambling, 7 Fieldfares, c40 Redwings and c330 Starlings.
On the 7th a Black Redstart was along Maer Lane and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers were off Mudbank along with a drake Shoveler and c200 Pintail. The following day c17000 Woodpigeons moved west over Orcombe Point and a Moorhen was on the slurry pit. Thirty-two Sanderling were on Cockle Sands.
On the 9th a goose sp was seen dropping down over the Warren as I drove along the seafront - almost certainly the Barnacle Goose located in the estuary off there, later in the day.
The 11th was a good day with the aforementioned Barnacle Goose scoped from Shelly Beach and 3 Black Redstarts around the 'Gut'. Nearby the Whimbrel was in Duckpond and 47+ Great Crested Grebes were counted off Mudbank.
On the 14th I found a Yellow-browed Warbler at Mudbank and Firecrests were seen there as well as Maer Lane and the Maer long-stay carpark (2 birds). A Cattle Egret was on Cockle Sands and 3 Shovelers were off Mudbank. Orcombe produced 1 Golden Plover and 1+ Brambling. The Moorhen was again seen in the slurry pit and a flock of 300+ Starlings flew over the seafront out into the bay.
On the 15th a Spotted Redshank was off Mudbank and the Yellow-browed Warbler was still hiding in scrub there.
Highlight on the 16th was a trio of Goosanders off Mudbank - 2 females and an immature male.
On the 25th a Siberian Chiffchaff was discovered along Madeira Walk and a/the Cetti's Warbler was along the cycle track between Mudbank and West Lodge.
A male Reed Bunting joined the pair of wintering Cirl Buntings on the Imperial rec on the 28th and another Siberian Chiffchaff was found at Mudbank - favoring the big Willow.
A quiet end to the month with the Cetti's Warbler skulking in Mudbank scrub.
Yellow-browed Warbler - Mudbank 14/11/25. My second of 2025 following the wintering bird that was present at the very start of the year.
Spotted Redshank - Mudbank 15/11/25. Such a tricky species to see in Exmouth - this being the first since August 30th 2022, but with regular sightings at the Warren and at Bowling Green it felt like one was on the cards.
Whimbrel - Duckpond 25/11/25. A wintering individual, staying pretty faithful to the Duckpond. Last recorded on 30/12.
On December 2nd there were 2 Purple Sandpipers on Maer Rocks and a flock of c30+ Siskins was at West Lodge. The Whimbrel was still in the Duckpond.
Big news on the third and a necessary post-work dash to see a Lesser Crested Tern from Shelly Beach. A totally unexpected lifer! I saw it again on the 5th and on the 6th it was resting on Cockle Sands, so well and truly within the Exmouth parish boundary. Also on Cockle Sands - 25 Sanderling and 17 Bar-tailed Godwits.
A first-winter Caspian Gull was on Cockle Sands on the 12th.
On the 16th the Siberian Chiffchaff was again along Madeira Walk, behind the Pavillions, and on the 20th 31 Great Crested Grebes were counted off Mudbank.
On Christmas Eve 3 Lapwing were off Mudbank and one of my infrequent Wigeon counts revealed 300 birds present. A presumed 'fulvescens' Siberian Chiffchaff was in the nearby hedgerow as was the Cetti's Warbler.
On the 28th 3 Egyptian Geese were on Cockle Sands. Also from Mudbank - a distant Great Northern Diver and 6 Red-breasted Mergansers. Two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were amongst Dark-bellied birds.
The Mudbank Mallard flock numbered 120 birds on the 30th and the Whimbrel was still present. Finally - a drake Gadwall was off Mudbank on the 31st.
Lesser Crested Tern - off Shelly Beach 3/12/25. It gave much better views on Cockle Sands a couple days later when the below field notes were made.
Grey Heron - Duckpond 28/12/25. Happy New Year to all readers of the blog!
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