Wet 'n' Windy

A young Gannet passes Maer Rocks - one of at least 110 moving south during this morning's sea-watch.

The weather's been mostly horrible today but I managed to cover a fair bit of ground by foot. A look at the sea, from 0840 - 0955, produced 110+ Gannets, 5 Kittiwakes, 2 Red-throated Divers, 14 auk sp, 1 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill, 1 Fulmar, 10 Common Scoters, 24 Black-headed Gulls and 11 Common Gulls. An afternoon visit, once the tide had dropped, revealed 7 Purple Sandpipers, 1 Turnstone and 4 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on Maer Rocks.

Otherwise, not a lot to report but a female Blackcap was an odd sight in a tightly-manicured  shrub on the seafront and c170 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were on the Imperial rugby ground, along with 2 Redshank. An adult Mediterranean Gull was on the adjacent recreation ground. On Cockle Sands - 17+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 110+ Grey Plovers and c45 Knot. No sign of the Scaup off Mudbank but 125 Dunlin were feeding off there, and a Cetti's Warbler was calling from brambles behind the viewing screen.

Common Scoters whizzing past Maer Rocks.

Purple Sandpiper. Just seven counted this afternoon.

 Dawlish Warren with Langstone Rock behind.

Exmouth Beach.

Shelly Beach - looking across to Starcross...

...and north to Exeter.

Adult Mediterranean Gull - Imperial rec.

One of two Red-breasted Mergansers off Shelly Beach.

Little Egret - Shelly Beach.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the Imperial rugby ground.

Curlew Count

You can just about make out the Curlew flock in the above photo. Maer Valley is a nice spot for the time being but the ever-expanding edges of the town are creeping closer and closer. This Curlew flock has been utilising the valley for years. Fingers crossed it continues.

Had some time today so checked some very muddy sites around Exmouth. A stroll around Maer Valley produced 101 Curlew, c30 Redwings, c20 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Grey Wagtails, c140 Starling (feeding in cattle fields with c300+ Black-headed Gulls), 2 Ring-necked Parakeets and 2 Mistle Thrushes. Nearby, on Orcombe Point - 1 Cirl Bunting near the dung heap still.

A blasting westerly meant it was very difficult to look off Mudbank but the female Scaup was still present and 36 Common Gulls were counted, which is a marked increase. A flock of 110 Dark-bellied Brent Geese was on the Imperial rugby pitch.

The afternoon was spent mooching around heathland within the Exmouth parish boundary. A strong wind and some sunshine encouraged 3 Goshawk to perform, and other species logged included c10/20+ Coal Tits, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 10+ Siskins, at least 3 Firecrests, 4 Goldcrests, 1+ Nuthatch,  1+ Treecreeper, 1 or 2 Sparrowhawks and a Dartford Warbler.

Part of the 101-strong Curlew flock.

I could only find 2 Ring-necked Parakeets this morning. This pair (male above, female below) were at Prattshayes Farm - a pretty reliable site for them. The eight birds that were frequenting the Maer long-stay carpark seemed to have moved. I've checked it two or three times recently without seeing them.

Starlings and Black-headed Gulls - Maer Valley.

One of today's three Goshawks. Conditions were clearly ideal today.

Firecrest. I'd love to know how many birds are wintering in Exmouth. It's got to be pretty big numbers as I'm bumping into them all over the place.

Eiders, Firecrests

One of two Firecrests feeding together with a Chiffchaff, in a Holm Oak in Phear Park this afternoon.

I had a very quick look off Maer rocks first thing, before we had to drop Maisie in Exeter. She's gone back up to Cardiff today. Several Kittiwakes and Gannets were passing, but less expected were 4 Eiders that flew west, towards the Warren, at 0812. Two immature males and 2 females I think. The drake and female Goldeneye were off Mudbank.
Later in the morning, off Mudbank - the female Scaup, 55+ Knot, 12+ Sanderling, 3 Ringed Plovers and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. Lovely to see Bob and Christine as well as Rob and Steph. A late afternoon stroll around Phear Park revealed 2 Firecrests, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap and the wintering Common Sandpiper. On the way home, an adult Mediterranean Gull drifted over Belle Vue Road.

Mediterranean Gull over Belle Vue Road.

Close-up views of a Common Sandpiper is still a bit of a novelty for me. This bird, in the brook below the entrance to Phear Park, shows really well.

Black Red

The male Black Redstart showed well in the 'Gut' this morning. Otherwise, a day of pretty awful weather. The female Scaup was off Mudbank, along with 22 Wigeon, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 17 Great Crested Grebes and a Kingfisher. It was really good to catch up with John and Sally.

Yesterday - 1 Scaup, 73 Mallard, 21+ Great Black-backed Gulls and 1 Red-breasted Merganser.

Cirls

I saw Ravens pretty much everywhere I went today - this one was on Orcombe Point.

Two Cirl Buntings on Orcombe this morning - frequenting the edges of the dung field. Also - 2 Stonechats, 9 Linnet, 3 Song Thrushes and 12 Lapwing.

Off Mudbank - the female Scaup, 2 Goldeneyes (male and female), 57 Mallard, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Greenshank, 27 Wigeon, 10 Redshank, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull (red-ringed), 5 Mute Swans, 70 Shelduck, 27 Canada Geese, 17 Common Gulls, 11+ Grey Plovers, 5 Knot and 10 Great Crested Grebes.

The wintering Common Sandpiper was again in the brook, below Phear Park, along with a Redshank and a Kingfisher. Single Mistle Thrushes were noted on the Imperial rugby ground and in hotel grounds along the seafront.

Cirl Bunting - Orcombe Point. The second individual is pictured below.

A dozen Lapwing on Orcombe Point was a surprise - they're normally a species that only shows up during cold weather.

Two Mute Swans were off the seafront, feeding at the edge of the slipway.

Common Sandpiper - Phear Park.

Sandwich Tern

Exmouth Beach at dawn.

A glorious day of sunshine and not a breath of wind. The sea and the river were like glass. Perfect for photographs but I managed to come away without a single decent bird image. No change there then! It was really nice to see so many familiar faces today - Carl and Jane, Keith, Bay, Jake with his dad and brother, Mark and Paul. 

Some good birds today too but nothing that hasn't been around a while. Maer Rocks - 8+ Purple Sandpipers, 13 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Great Crested Grebes and just 1 Turnstone. Further along the seafront, towards the Warren - 3 Eider and a Chiffchaff moving through hotel gardens.

Another Chiffchaff was on Belle Vue Road and off Mudbank, counts included 1 Scaup, 2 Goldeneye, 21+ Redshank, 93 Shelduck, 4 Knot, 22+ Grey Plover, 1 Greenshank, 1 Sandwich Tern and 1 Spoonbill. Other waders seen but not counted included a small flock of Sanderling and a couple small flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits, plenty of Turnstones and Dunlin. Also of note - 1 Mistle Thrush over, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Kingfisher 1+ Redwing and the wintering Cetti's Warbler (calling from beside the cycle track between Mudbank and Lower Halsdon Farm).

Sunrise from Orcombe Point.

Starcross from Mudbank.

Drake Goldeneye - Duck Pond.

Goldeneye pair - Duck Pond.

Sandwich Tern - picked up by Keith - off the Imperial rec but photographed from Mudbank. 

I've had no luck with the Spoonbill over the last couple of days. Yesterday it flew over Mudbank minutes after I'd left and this afternoon it was always distant having earlier been tucked right in beneath the railway line, whilst Lu and I were walking around the Imperial rec.

 Sunset from Lower Halsdon Farm.

NYD

 Common Sandpiper - still showing well in the brook below the entrance to Phear Park.

Off Mudbank this morning, on the rising tide - the female Scaup, 2 Goldeneyes (male and female), 8+ Great Crested Grebes, 66 Shelduck, 2 Egyptian Geese (downriver @ 1008), 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 12 Wigeon, 56+ Mallard, 13+ Grey Plovers, 1 Greenshank, 77+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 11 Dunlin, 3 Redshank, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Red-breasted Merganser. Nearby, in the brook, the wintering Common Sandpiper still.

One of three adult Mediterranean Gulls off Mudbank this morning, one bearing a white darvic ring.

Dunlin - Mudbank.