Devon Flashback 20 - Long-billed Murrelet

Wow! Fifteen years ago yesterday. What a bird. Dave, Dave and Kev - THANK YOU!

Purple Sands

Four Purple Sandpipers with at least 9 Turnstones on Maer Rocks this evening. Nearby off Mudbank - Plenty of Wigeon, 44 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Grey Plover and a couple Pale-bellied Brent Geese noted on a very low tide.

Black Reds

 One of the two male Black Redstarts in the Shelly Beach area this afternoon.

Yesterday at dawn on Orcombe Point - very little moving but my first Fieldfare of the autumn was noted, along with 2 Redpolls, 2 Redwings, 11+ Song Thrushes, c15 Blackbirds, 11+ Siskins, 5+ Meadow Pipits, 16+ Skylarks, 21 Starlings, 1 Snipe, 28+ Chaffinches, 1+ Brambling, 3 Stonechats, 2+ Bullfinches, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff, 12 Stock Doves, 13 Jackdaws and 3+ Pied Wagtails.

Records from Mudbank included 3 Red-breasted Mergansers and 24 Great Crested Grebes.

Dunlin

Dunlin - Duckpond.

At least 2 Brambling with small numbers of Chaffinches over Orcombe on a very brief dawn visit. Out again before dark this evening and two returning Purple Sandpipers on Maer Rocks and the presumed returning male Black Redstart in the Shelly Beach area were good to see.
Yesterday - 2 Lapwings and a Snipe in the Orcombe top fields after work and the first-winter Yellow-legged Gull off Mudbank, along with 55+ Turnstones, c35 Dunlin, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and a Greenshank.
On 3/11 - c80 Dunlin, 13 Redshank and an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Two Purple Sandpipers on Maer Rocks - masters of camouflage. Also 12 Turnstones and 5 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Turnstone - Duckpond.

Lapwing - one of two on Orcombe Point yesterday evening.

Meadow Pipit - Duckpond.

Webs

A fly-over Brambling, a Stonechat and a handful of Meadow Pipits noted on a late visit to Orcombe Point this evening. Was distracted by the spider webs covering the whole area...

Spot Red Back

 Good to see the return of the Spotted Redshank today.

Orcombe was blown out this morning but 1 Great Skua and lots of auks and Kittiwakes passed first thing and 2 Goldcrests, c300 Woodpigeons, 8 Pied Wagtails, 2 Song Thrushes, 20+ Starlings, 3 Chaffinches, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Chiffchaff and at least one Redwing also snuck into the notebook.

Off Mudbank - 1 Spotted Redshank, 18 Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Turnstone, 5 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 200+ Pintail, 222 Shelduck, a first-winter Kittiwake and a few Pale-bellied Brent Geese amongst the usual numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Wigeon.

I didn't get up to Orcombe 'til late morning yesterday but recorded well over 1000 Woodpigeons heading west along with 40+ Chaffinches and at least 1 Brambling. A single Brambling was also recorded late in the afternoon, over Shelly beach.

Belated news for the 29th - 1 Red-throated Diver off the seafront and a good count of 30 Great Crested Grebes off Mudbank.

First-winter Kittiwake - Mudbank.

The first-winter Yellow-legged Gull was again in the coastal recycling depot behind the Imperial - feeding around the skips.

Peacock on Orcombe yesterday. Painted Lady also seen.

Bystock

Good to see Edrick and Sarah this afternoon. Quiet on the bird front.

Common Darters.

 Marsh Tit.