Woodpigeons

c1000 Woodpigeons logged over Orcombe this morning.

Orcombe from 0725 - c20 Chiffchaffs, 4 Firecrests, 3 Blackcaps, 4 Goldcrests, 1 Tree Pipit, 11+ Siskins, 1+ Reed Bunting, 34+ Pied Wagtails, c60 Chaffinches,  6 Stonechats, c80+ Meadow Pipits, 34 Skylarks (plus c60+ on the deck), c50 Goldfinches, 18+ Greenfinches, c150+ Linnets, up to 5 Cirl Buntings, c20+ Blackbirds, 2 Grey Wagtails, 1+ Coal Tit, 2 Rock Pipits, 3 Stock Doves and the Cetti's Warbler still.

Mudbank - c320 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 4 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, c4/500+ Black-tailed Godwits, 50+ Turnstones, c40 Teal, 14 Mute Swans, 1 Black Swan, 14 Skylarks over, 25 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Grey Plover and 4 Greenshank. Redshank, Wigeon, Pintail etc not counted.

Black Swan off Mudbank.

 Male Blackcap - Orcombe.

V Brief Casp

First-winter Caspian Gull - only seen for a few seconds this afternoon before disappearing. Viewing conditions rubbish in a strong westerly coming straight across the river. Otherwise the Dark-bellied Brent Goose flock numbered c260 birds on Cockle Sands, along with 10 Grey Plovers. Nothing else counted today.

Golden Plovers

Heard calling long before I managed to locate them - 2 Golden Plovers on Orcombe Point this morning. The second, more golden bird pictured below.

Orcombe early on - 2 Golden Plovers (my first of the autumn), 1 Yellow Wagtail, 42+ Pied Wagtails, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Firecrest,  9 Swallows, 3+ Song Thrushes, 1 Blackcap, just 6 Chiffchaffs, the long-staying Cetti's Warbler, c30+ Meadow Pipits, 1 Stonechat, 2 Kestrels, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Grey Wagtail and c30+ Goldfinches. 

Mudbank - 1 drake Mandarin, 1 female Gadwall, 1 drake Shoveler, c185 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 or possibly 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese the only things noted amongst good numbers of the usual stuff. 

 The drake Mandarin was again off Mudbank this afternoon.

GWE

Great White Egret heading east this afternoon. Photographed from the back garden thanks to a message from Lee after it had gone north over the Warren. My first in Exmouth this year and only the twelfth one I've seen in the parish.

Orcombe - 2 Cattle Egrets, 1 Siskin, 5 Stonechats and 12 Chiffchaffs.

Mudbank - 5 Shovelers, 4 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, c135 Redshank, 1 Grey Plover and c185 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. High numbers of Black-tailed Godwits again but I didn't count them.

One of five Shovelers off Mudbank.

One of two Cattle Egrets on Orcombe this afternoon. I scope them regularly across the other side of the river but today's birds are the first I've seen actually within the Exmouth parish boundary this year.

SEO

Poor visibility in mist this morning but Orcombe still produced 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Snipe, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Jay, 4 Song Thrushes, up to 22 Swallows, 1 Stock Dove, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Grey Wagtails and 15+ Chiffchaffs.

Mudbank - good wader numbers included 1 Spotted Redshank, 8 Greenshank, c90 Redshank, c480 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 22 Turnstones, 2 Knot and 3 Grey Plovers. Also off there - 1 Kingfisher, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose still and 152 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Other wildfowl not counted.

Yesterday off Mudbank - c175 Brent Geese, 1 Knot, 68 Redshank and 2 Whimbrel.

Not much on Orcombe but the first Redpoll of the autumn flew west as did 2 Siskins.

Arctic Tern

Mudbank - 1 juvenile Arctic Tern with 4 Sandwich Terns on the dropping tide. Also 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose still with 109 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Little else counted but lots off birds on the estuary including 48 Redshank and c170 Teal. A fly-over Reed Bunting is a good record for Mudbank.

Orcombe was disappointing in benign conditions first thing. Just 3 Grey Wagtails, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 21 alba wagtails, 1 Goldcrest, 7 Chiffchaffs, a singing male Cirl Bunting, 8 Goldfinches, 2 Swallows, 9 Chaffinches and c180 Meadow Pipits.

Orcombe Casp

First-winter Caspian Gull - the 19th I've found in Exmouth but the first I've ever seen on Orcombe Point.

Orcombe from 0705 - 9am - 1 Caspian Gull, 1 Siskin, 300+ Meadow Pipits, just 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Goldcrests, 1 Whitethroat, 10 Ravens, 1 Stonechat, 26+ alba wagtails and 3 Grey Wagtails.

Mudbank - 105 Brent Geese (looked to be all Dark-bellied but suspect the Pale-bellied Brent was hiding amongst them), 2 juvenile Ospreys (one resting on Cockle Sands), 33 Redshank, c115 Black-tailed Godwits and 1 Goshawk over woodland on the opposite side of the river.

Yesterday morning on Orcombe - 1 Jay, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Yellow Wagtail (with tail), 2 Swallows, 14 Chiffchaffs, c90+ Meadow Pipits, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Cirl Bunting, 2 Stonechats, 11 alba wagtails, 3 Grey Wagtails, 17+ Chaffinches, 2 Goldcrests, c4/500+ Linnets, c25 Goldfinches and the singing Cetti's Warbler still.

Davidstow Buff-breasts

Twenty-six years since I last saw a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and I've never photographed one, so I headed up to north Cornwall today.  It was well worth the drive, which took little over an hour, as four juvenile birds showed beautifully. Done the Davidstow airfield way - strictly from the car. A bit of a trip down memory lane as my first ever was a juvenile, also on Davidstow airfield, on September 18th 1992. Next was a juvenile at Abberton reservoir, Essex on September 15th 1996 on a trip with Kev Rylands. Last ones - 2 juveniles on Prawle airfields on September 17th 2000 - found by Pat Mayer if my memory serves me correctly. I've not even tried for one since, which is a bit nuts as they're truly wonderful waders!

Three juveniles together. A fourth bird was watched on its own (single photo below) prior to seeing this trio which were with a group of c10 Ringed Plovers.

First bird seen on its own.

Ringed Plovers...

Mandarin!

A morning stroll 'round the block' with Lu was greatly enlivened with my first ever (probably overdue but entirely anticipated) Exmouth Mandarin - a drake in with Mallards off Mudbank over the high tide. A quick count of a few other species revealed 72 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 23 Great Crested Grebes, 38 Redshank, 1 Turnstone and 19 Black-tailed Godwits.

Only two fields covered on Orcombe but 1 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Swallows and a flock of 7 Ravens were logged. The Linnet flock still estimated to be c4/500 birds and a few grounded Meadow Pipits.

Getting a bit late for Whitethroats now. This one was feeding in weeds at the base of a hedge.

Little Gull

Adult winter Little Gull - Mudbank on this morning's high tide.

Mudbank - adult winter Little Gull, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 66 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 10 Sandwich Terns, 24 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 2 Shoveler, 1 juvenile Common Tern, 1 Swallow, c75 Black-tailed Godwits and 3 Bar-tailed Godwits.

A quick look off the seafront earlier produced 2 Common Scoters and 3 Balearic Shearwaters moving east. Orcombe was too blown out but 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Goldcrests, 4 Swallows and 2 Sparrowhawks were seen on a rapid whiz round.

Little Gulls rarely show this well in Exmouth. Whenever I've seen them even closer it's been into the teeth of a gale-force wind!

Redstarts, Pale-b Brent

A distant record shot of the male Redstart. Female is pictured below. Both birds typically flighty and impossible to approach. Only my third and fourth in Exmouth this year.

Orcombe - 2 Redstarts, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Firecrest, 2 Goldcrests, 1 Jay, c25 Swallows, 22+ Chiffchaffs, c110 Meadow Pipits, 6 Stonechats, 3 Blackcaps, c40+ Skylarks and the singing Cetti's Warbler still.

Mudbank - 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose with 31 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 juvenile Common Tern, 8+ Sandwich Terns, 21 Great Crested Grebes, c100 Pintail, 6 Mute Swans, 7 Dunlin, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Peregrine and an impressive gathering of 96 Little Egrets. Additionally this evening - c120+ Black-tailed Godwits and 7 Ringed Plovers. Again couldn't face counting the numerous Wigeon but several hundred birds present now.

This tail-less Yellow Wagtail has been around for a while now. It gets in with the Meadow Pipits in the top fields.

Arctic Tern, Hobby

Juvenile Osprey - Mudbank.

A look off the seafront from 0700 for an hour produced a steady trickle of Gannets, a few auks, 9 Common Scoters, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 4 shearwater sp and a juvenile Arctic Tern.

Mudbank - 18 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 juvenile Osprey, 1 juvenile Common Tern, 19+ Sandwich Terns, 7 Mute Swans, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, c185 Curlew, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Ringed Plovers.

Orcombe - a quick mid-afternoon whiz round the top fields produced 1 Hobby, 4+ Swallows and 3 Stonechats.

A Hobby heading west over Orcombe towards Dawlish Bay this afternoon.

Arctic Tern - extreme record shot of the juvenile off the seafront.

Male Sparrowhawk - Orcombe Point.

Spot Red Still

Yellow Wagtail - Orcombe Point.

Orcombe from 0650 this morning - c250 Meadow Pipits, 18+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 1 Firecrest, c30 alba wagtails, 2 Goldcrests, c4/500+ Linnets, 1 Reed Bunting, 15+ Greenfinches, 4 Stonechats, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Snipe.

Mudbank - 1 Spotted Redshank, c100 Black-tailed Godwits, 20 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Ringed Plovers, 1 Common Tern, 23+ Sandwich Terns, 3 Grey Plovers, 17 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 11 Redshank and 2 Greenshank. Couldn't face counting ducks today.

Yesterday - Orcombe - c20 Chiffchaffs, 1+ Yellow Wagtail and the singing Cetti's Warbler which actually showed for a change - hopping up a couple times into a dead-looking bush.

Mudbank - 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Whimbrel the only stuff to make it into the notebook.

Stonechat.

Pintail - Mudbank.

Black-tailed Godwits - Mudbank.

Drake Mallard - Mudbank. Female below.

Spotted Redshank - Mudbank.

 Black-tailed Godwits - Mudbank.