Cattle Egrets

Eight Cattle Egrets off the Imperial recreation ground first thing this morning. They flew upriver after the tide dislodged them. Also off there - 2 first-summer Mediterranean Gulls with c130 Black-headed Gulls. A short look off Maer Rocks revealed 3 summer-plumaged Great Northern Divers, a single Fulmar and at least 11 Manx Shearwaters. Orcombe Point was again almost birdless but at least 2, probably 3, Kestrels flew west in quick succession. At least one continued straight out into the bay, south towards Berry Head. A Collared Dove was the only other slight oddity. Twenty Whimbrel off Mudbank.

Whitethroat - Orcombe Point.

Arctic Skua

Spotted Flycatcher - Orcombe Point 9/5/25.

A pale phase Arctic Skua and 7 Common Scoters off Orcombe Point this morning. Two small parties of small waders, probably Dunlin, flew towards the Warren. Orcombe Point was completely devoid off any new migrants but the male Cirl Bunting was singing.

Yesterday on Orcombe - 1 Tawny Owl and 5 Swifts (east). Two Sandwich Terns offshore. Mudbank - 48 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Greenshank.

9/5 - Orcombe Point - 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Swifts and c30 Linnets with 3 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Fulmar and 1 Great Northern Diver offshore.

Mudbank - 51 Whimbrel, 1 Turnstone, 1 Greenshank, c100 Black-headed Gulls and 3 or 4 Sandwich Terns.

 Greenshank - Mudbank.

Little Gull

Hobby.

A first-summer Little Gull and 5 Sandwich Terns off the seafront just before 6am this morning. Otherwise today just 40 Whimbrel off Mudbank.

Time spent roaming the pebbled heaths over the last couple days produced a few birds but nothing too out of the ordinary. Highlights were a Goshawk in pursuit of two drake Mallard, Hobby, LRP, Nightjars, Dartford Warblers, Tree Pipit, Tawny Owl, Reed Bunting, 3 Little Grebes, 3 Tufted Ducks, Coot, singing Firecrests, an over-flying Whimbrel (Withycombe Raleigh Common) and Redstart (Hawkerland).

Glow Worm.

 Male Redstart - Hawkerland.

Second Whinchat

My second Whinchat of the spring on Orcombe this morning. Also - presumably yesterday's Lesser Whitethroat singing from the same strip of hedgerow. Off Maer Rocks - 1 Common Scoter, 1 imm male Eider, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Turnstone, 1 fs Mediterranean Gull, c75 Black-headed Gulls and 12 Kittiwakes. Lots of auks moving way out in the bay. Mudbank was quiet with c30 Whimbrel, 1 Swift and a Red Kite which crossed the river heading east.

Whinchat and male Grey Wagtail.

Nightjar - just brilliant camouflage!

Stonechat - Woodbury Common.

Lesser Whitethroat

Another singing male Lesser Whitethroat on an otherwise quiet Orcombe Point today. My third of the spring which makes it a relatively good year!

A half-hour sea-watch from the raised beach huts, from 6am, produced 3 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Sandwich Terns, c10 Dunlin and 11+ Sanderlings. The subsequent stroll round Orcombe produced 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Swifts and the 2 Grey Wagtails.

Mudbank - 58 Whimbrel, 10 Dunlin, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Swifts east across the river.

Bystock - the pair of Tufted Ducks and 1 Moorhen. A Tree Pipit singing on the adjacent East Budleigh Common is presumably a returning bird and a singing Cuckoo is probably the Bicton Common bird.

Painted Lady - Orcombe Point.

Nightjar - Bicton Common.

Whinchat

My first Whinchat of the year. Thought I was going to have to wait 'til August for one of these, such has been the shortage of common migrants this spring.

Orcombe from 6am - 1 Whinchat, 2 Red Kites, 1 female Cirl Bunting, 1 Grey Wagtail and a Ring-necked Parakeet.

Mudbank - male and female Wigeon, 39 Whimbrel, 3 Sandwich Terns, 5 Red Kites (all crossing the river east), 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Mallard, 3 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Mute Swan.

Red Kite - Orcombe Point. Whilst they're regularly seen from the back garden it's very unusual to get them on Orcombe Point. This was one of two this morning but I've had less than ten up there over many years of coverage.

RNP - Orcombe Point - top end of sewage works.

My first Heath Spotted Orchid of 2025.

Meadow Pipit.

Checked a traditional Spot Fly nesting site on Woodbury Common this afternoon and pleased to report a pair present. Will be checking more local sites over the next few weeks...

Stonechat. White-rumped like the majority of Pebbled Heath birds.

Cuckoo, RKs

Cuckoo - singing male on Bicton Common.

A good chunk of the morning spent on local heathland with Cuckoo, 2 Sand Martins, Little Ringed Plover, 3 Tufted Ducks, 6 Shelduck, singing Firecrest, 10 Mallard and an overflying Greenshank the highlights. Otherwise it has again been all about Red Kites with 24 recorded flying east from the back garden over a relatively short time spent watching. Must have missed a load!

LRP.

Drake Tufted Duck - Bystock.