Slav Grebe, Glossy Flock

Sunrise from Orcombe with Portland on the horizon.

A strangely good day in Exmouth today - the highlight coming late this afternoon with a winter-plumaged Slavonian Grebe in the estuary off Shelly Beach. Many thanks to Mark for the message. I'm old enough to remember a time when they were common winter visitors to the Exe but since the demise of the famous long-staying bird, a few years ago, they've become really rare. Today's individual is remarkably early too, undoubtedly a product of the cold northerly airflow. 
At midday I was enjoying watching a hefty female Goshawk being mobbed by a (relatively small) Kestrel, across the other side of the river (from Mudbank), when I picked up a flock of 19 Glossy Ibis. They were already high but circled higher and higher, until almost stratospheric, before heading south with some purpose. Also off Mudbank today - 25 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, c380+ Wigeon, 4 Teal, 60+ Pintail, c65+ Dunlin, 7 Redshank, 23 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Knot, 1 Whimbrel and c40 Sandwich Terns.

A  freezing cold dawn spell on Orcombe produced c180+ Meadow Pipits, 25+ Siskins, 1+ Yellow Wagtail, 10+ Pied Wagtails, 4 Grey Wagtails, 4+ Goldcrests, c40+ Swallows, 45+ hirundine sp, 18+ House Martins, c30 Goldfinches, 18+ Linnets, 4+ Chaffinches, 2 Greenfinches, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Wheatears, 7 Skylarks, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Redshank and 9 Common Scoters (east)..

This is the first Slavonian Grebe I've seen since February 11th 2021 when I photographed the famous long-stayer off Shelly Beach. One of the photos I took that day appears as the current 'banner' of this blog.

Baird's Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper - river Otter. Two trips needed. A nice walk with Lu this morning (when we dipped) and a silly dash this afternoon. One of those species that I haven't seen for years! In fact, my last one was nearly 30 years ago - at Needs Ore in Hampshire on 16/9/96. Kev and I twitched it on our way back from a short birding trip to Norfolk and Essex. Prior to that I saw one at Bowling Green on 31/8/93 and my first, at Crowdy Reservoir, Cornwall on 7/1//89. Really great to catch up with Chris having not seen him in ages. Also there today - 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Dunlin, 1+ Yellow Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 1 Osprey and 11 Spoonbills over south.

Didn't do any birding in Exmouth today but yesterday - a juv/fw Little Gull over the Imperial rec before flying over the town. On Cockle Sands - c170 Curlew, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose and 5 Sandwich Terns. A Whimbrel was in Duckpond. Mudbank counts included 78 Pintail, 7 Teal, 6 Knot, c50 Redshank, 39 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Greenshank. A quick look off the seafront mid-afternoon produced 1 Arctic Skua and 18 Sandwich Terns. Just 3 Wheatears and lots of passage Swallows on a very speedy look at Orcombe top fields.

Eleven Spoonbills high over the Otter valley towards the sea this afternoon.

Ospreys

Two Ospreys off Mudbank this afternoon. A bird carrying a fish east, over the Deaf Academy, at 1055 could have been a third individual.

Mudbank today - 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Ospreys, 1 Goshawk and a juvenile Peregrine along with 73 Pintail, 8 Teal, c170 Wigeon, 4 Greenshank, 1 Turnstone, 1 Grey Plover, 13 Dunlin, 5 Ringed Plovers, 1 Knot, 15 Redshank, 25 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel, 30+ Common Terns, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

A Tawny Owl was calling as I was about to go through the moth trap this morning and on Orcombe - 1+ Siskin, 2 Wheatear, 3 Stonechats and a Nuthatch. An Osprey circled eastwards, with a fish, over the Deaf Academy at 1055.

Yesterday evening - 600+ Common Terns roosting on Cockle Sands with a juvenile Little Gull. Also - 41+ Pintail, 45+ Teal, 35+ Black-tailed Godwits, c85 Wigeon, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit.

Wheatear - Orcombe Point.

Pearly Underwing. First time trapping for a while - 2 Angle Shades, 3 Dark Sword-grass, 2 Blair's Mocha, 1 Four-spotted Footman, 2 Olive-tree Pearl, 2 Large Ranunculus, 9 Rush Veneer, 10+ Rusty Dot Pearl, 1 Silver Y, 1+ Portland Ribbon Wave, Yellow Shell, Box-tree Moth, L-album Wainscot, Carcina quercana, Coastal Pearl, Light Emerald, Square-spot Rustic, Willow Beauty, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lunar Underwing, Double-striped Pug, Twenty-plume Moth and Wax Moth.

Female Four-spotted Footman.

Juvenile Peregrine - Mudbank.

Female Peregrine - Bicton Common.

Black Tern, Gadwall

Whimbrel - Mudbank.

A look off Mudbank after work this afternoon, on the dropping tide, revealed 800+ Common Terns resting on Cockle Sands. Amongst them - 1 juvenile Black Tern and at least one juvenile Arctic Tern. Also off Mudbank - 2 Knot, 3 Sanderling, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Greenshank, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 14 Redshank, 1 Peregrine, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 8 Pintail, c35 Wigeon and 1 Stock Dove.

Yesterday off there - a female-type Gadwall (my first this year), 1 Shoveler, 1 Teal, c160 Wigeon, 96 Shelduck, 95 Mallard, c50 Common Terns, 2 Whimbrel, 5 Ringed Plovers, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 20 Redshank, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Dunlin, c20 Sandwich Terns and a fly-over Siskin. Further upriver - an Osprey and 4 Black Swans.
Earlier, on Orcombe - 67 Meadow Pipits west along with 12 Grey Wagtails, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 11 Swallows and 17+ Siskins in the first hour and a half after dawn.

Osprey, Ibis

An adult Osprey on Cockle Sands this morning.

Orcombe first thing - 12+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Stonechat, 7+ Grey Wagtails, 15 Meadow Pipits, 1 Kestrel, at least 7 Yellow Wagtails still and 1 Wheatear.

Mudbank -  2 Greenshank, 18+ Turnstones, 31 Redshank, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Whimbrel, 15 Great Crested Grebes, c180 Wigeon, 1 Kingfisher, 5+ Grey Wagtails, 20+ Sandwich Terns, 37 Pintail, 1 first-winter Mediterranean Gull, c50/60 'commic' terns, 1 Peregrine and 1 Osprey. A single Glossy Ibis circled Powderham Park just after 9am before appearing to drop somewhere north of Powderham Church.

Yesterday an early morning sea-watch from the raised beach huts produced 2 Arctic Skuas, 12 Common Scoters, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 22 hirundine sp out to sea and a good count of 115+ Balearic Shearwaters.

Mudbank - 18 Redshank, 9 Pintail, 2 Greenshank, c205 Wigeon, 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Peregrine, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Common Sandpiper, 88 Shelduck and 1 Osprey ((upriver).

On Orcombe - 8 Yellow Wagtails on the dung heap.

Pintail off Mudbank in the drizzle.

Juvenile Swallow - dung heap.

Yellow Wags, 2cy Casp

Nine Yellow Wagtails on the dung heap today.

Orcombe Point this morning - 9 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Meadow Pipits, 7+ Swallows, 1 Bullfinch and 6 Ravens.

Mudbank counts included a fly-over Golden Plover, a 2cy Caspian Gull just before dark this evening, c400+ Common Terns, 158 Wigeon, 20 Pintail, 2 Turnstones, 2 Teal, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Greenshank, 10 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Whimbrel, 19 Redshank, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 96 Shelduck, c195 Curlew, 40+ Little  Egrets and 45 adult Mute Swans. 

2cy Caspian Gull - difficult to sketch and photograph as t was getting dark.

Whimbrel - Duckpond.

Hobby

Hobby. I've struggled with this species in Exmouth this year - this being only my second. It passed over Orcombe pretty quickly this morning.

A look at the sea, from the raised beach huts 'til 0745 this morning produced 1 Arctic Skua, 1+ Common Scoter, c35 Common Terns, 10 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 fw Mediterranean Gulls and 5 Sanderling.

On Orcombe Point - 1 Hobby, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Wheatear. Nearby on the cricket pitch - the 5cy Yellow-legged Gull and 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in with c300 Herring Gulls.

Mudbank - 1 Osprey, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 1 Teal, 88 Shelduck and 26 Common Terns.

This evening on Cockle Sands - 1 Black Tern in with c500+ Common Terns and c30 Teal in with c35+ Wigeon.

Mudbank yesterday - 40 Wigeon, 1 first-winter Yellow-legged Gull, 7 Redshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 3+ Whimbrel and 1 Pintail. A pre-dusk scoot round Orcombe was worth it with both Redstart and a flock of 13 Yellow Wagtails logged in the top fields.

Lu and I chanced upon this resting Hummingbird Hawkmoth on this morning's dog walk.

First-winter Yellow-legged Gull very distantly off Mudbank yesterday.