Ye Olde Devon List

The Brixham white-billed diver prompted me to have a long overdue look at my Devon list. I've been through a lengthy period of indifference towards it, preferring for years now to just look for my own stuff. I kind of regret this attitude now because I've missed out on some fantastic birds - sometimes because I just couldn't get to the bird but more often because of my pig-headed 'I'm a birder not a twitcher' attitude. I'm much more likely to go for a bird if it's a new bird for me but I think I should make more of an effort to go for species that I 'need' for the county list or simply species that I haven't seen for a long time.
I am also planning on recounting some of my diary entries for famous Devon rarities over the years. I love the Devon birding scene and its many characters and I love the way that the county's top listers, those on 345+ (some are on 360+), maintain an air of secrecy and intrigue around their lists, often playing them down and pretending they don't really care about it.
I've stuck my list on a separate page (see pages menu at the top of this page) in case anybody is interested but I suppose I might as well produce a list of species I haven't seen in the county - there are some shocking gaps and I really do regret not going for some species that I could quite easily have got if I'd tried!

Sunshine

The sunrise from Exmouth seafront was magnificent this morning and it has remained sunny all day. I watched the sea for half an hour before I had to take Joel to football. Best bird was a long-tailed duck (female-type) which flew from Orcombe towards the Warren. On and around Maer Rocks were 99 brent goose, 1 curlew and 3 turnstone. No purple sandpipers and no sign of the eiders either.

 I had a quick and unsuccessful scan from the Imperial rugby ground for yesterday's presumed glaucous gull and tried again later this afternoon with Chris Townend but to no avail.

This family group of seven dark-bellied brents seem to keep themselves to themselves. They're often around the Imperial rugby ground area and I sometimes see them around Orcombe Point. It's funny how they seem to prefer their own company to that of the large flocks that are currently frequenting the north and west parts of the river.

This was the sunny view, looking back towards the Warren, from Orcombe Point late this morning and I also managed a quick look at Hayes Barton pig farm where the low gull count was disappointing. All I saw during my brief visit was c5+ meadow pipit, 1 stock dove, 1 red-legged partridge, 1 grey wagtail, 2 reed bunting and c20+ chaffinch. The red admiral pictured below was nice though if a little early!

-Like the odd-shaped reflections on these brents photographed off the Imperial rugby ground this afternoon.

Frustrating White-winger

I was really good to bump into Chris Townend and Russ Eynon this evening near the Imperial rugby ground. We spent the last half hour of daylight (plus a good deal of near darkness) trying to suss a white-winged gull roosting on Bull Hill. We zipped round to the docks for a better view of it but it remained frustratingly distant. Initial thoughts were that it had to be glaucous gull - a hefty bird clearly bigger than accompanying herring gulls. However it looked undeniably long-winged at times and there were moments when the larger size was not so obvious. To compound the difficulty we were mostly viewing it back-on when size can be deceptive. As far as age goes it was always difficult. A very white-looking individual with perhaps some pale grey in the mantle? The bill looked dull but we couldn't detect the classic 'pink dipped in black' of an immature so perhaps a third-winter or older? Difficult to say! It is probably best left as a probable glaucous gull. It never appeared small and dainty as the majority of icelands do and often looked really big but it was a bit of a chameleon to say the least. Hopefully it will reappear tomorrow.

Purple Sand influx!

It seems reasonable to assume that all the rough weather and associated big tides account for the additional purple sandpipers on Maer Rocks this evening. I counted at least eight with about fifteen turnstones. Counting the birds is really difficult on Maer Rocks because the birds spend the majority of time on the edge of the rocks, down and out of view. I think there is a very good chance there are more present. My highest count before now has been five back in November 2011 and the most I've seen this winter has been three. Maer Rocks is not a regular wintering site. I saw none in the winter of 2012/13 and before November 2011 I had never seen purple sandpiper there although there are old records going back about 20 years.

Yesterday after work I disturbed a grey-looking chiffchaff from a fuschia bush right beside our front door. I saw it briefly in flight across our next door neighbour's garden and very briefly in our back garden just before dark. I think there's a good chance it's a tristis-type but obviously need proper views. The wind was keeping it low and flighty.

Another Jack Snipe

A late afternoon post work dog-walk produced mixed emotions. Dramatic skies over the river before torrential rain rolled in was heart-warming as was a titchy jack snipe that hung in the wind above me after Coco (our dog) flushed it from beside the footpath. I was gutted I didn't have the camera ready as this is a species I've never managed to photograph.

There was also sadness and anger as two tough wildfowlers set out across the estuary to blast some poor unsuspecting duck or goose out of the air. I can't honestly see how they can know what they're shooting when it's nearly dark!

Long-tailed Ducks

I did a sea-watch with Nick Pratt this morning (0810 - 0930). We watched from the raised beach huts and recorded the 2 female eider, 7  red-throated diver, 4+ diver sp, 3 auk sp, 1 razorbill, 2 kittiwake, c5/10+ gannet, c5/10+ common gull, 1 fulmar, 1+ great northern diver and best of all, 2 long-tailed duck. The first was zooming around distantly with a guillemot or razorbill and it looked very auk-like at times (see above sketch). Almost as soon as we'd watched it pitch down way off Orcombe Point Nick picked up the second bird close inshore. I managed a quick sketch before it took off, heading back towards the Warren. From behind in flight it's pretty indistinguishable from a guillemot or razorbill! The majority of birds we get on the Exe are immature or female-types like the above bird. Below is a painting I did of an adult male breeding-plumaged bird that was an unseasonal shock find on Bowling Green marsh back on August 23rd 2008.

On Warren View football pitch, behind the house, this morning 2 adult mediterranean gull and below is a selection of images of a preening pied wagtail taken at Exmouth Docks late yesterday afternoon.

I love the changes in body shape and the energetic contortions the bird makes to maintain its plumage. Brilliant birds!

Grotty Corner Black Red

I went back to Sandy Bay this afternoon, primarily for the gulls, but I was also keen to see how reliable yesterday's black redstart might be. I wasn't disappointed because it soon popped up and showed really well in what I now call the 'Grotty Corner', complete with an overflow pipe cascading a torrent of water down on to the beach. In the top photo you should be able to make out the bird on its favorite log perch, below an imposing set of warning signs! In this tiny area a number of other birds were present - a couple rock pipits, wren, robin, grey wagtail and 2 pied wagtails - all very nice.

Offshore were 3 great crested grebe and 1 guillemot. There was still a reasonable gathering of large gulls and the 2 female eider were visible distantly off Orcombe Point. Highlight of the day though was captured in the photos below - made me chuckle!