GND

Dark and atmospheric off Orcombe Point this afternoon. A single Great Northern Diver the only bird of note.

Off Mudbank this afternoon - the female Scaup still, 84 Shelduck, at least 10 Great Crested Grebes and a Peregrine that grabbed an unfortunate Redshank. Really good to bump into Roland again.
Off Orcombe Point - a single Great Northern Diver this afternoon. A quick look off there earlier, in foul weather, revealed a number of Gannets and an adult Mediterranean Gull.

This Great Northern Diver was sat off Orcombe Point, late this afternoon.

Peregrine with Redshank.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Mudbank.

The Brook

I can see I'm going to need to check the brook more often. I've never really looked at the stretch below Phear Park before but it's currently holding a wintering Common Sandpiper and additionally this morning there was 1 Greenshank (just about visible in the above photo), 3 Redshank, 2 Grey Wagtails, 1 Kingfisher and a Little Egret.

Off Mudbank - the female Scaup, 79 Mallard, 3 Wigeon and a drake Pintail.

Yesterday the Scaup was in with a flock of 89 Shelduck at high tide, and the immature drake Eider was off the lifeboat station.

Greenshank.

The female Scaup remains frustratingly distant. Yesterday it was amongst 89 Shelduck, over the high tide, viewed from the Imperial recreation ground.

The Eider was almost impossible to photograph in yesterday's heavy swell.

Common Sand

I got better views of the wintering Common Sandpiper today. It was in the brook on the edge of Phear Park.

A few bits and bobs today - the female Scaup was again off Mudbank this morning. Not much else off there but 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Greenshank, 1 Kingfisher, 57 Shelduck and a Rock Pipit were noted.

Off the lifeboat station - the immature drake Eider still and in the brook, alongside Phear Park, 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Redshank.

The immature drake Eider was again off the lifeboat station this morning.

Redshank - Phear Park.

Better Scaup

It was still pretty much dark when I looked off Mudbank this morning but I'm glad I did because the Scaup was fairly close-in, revealing itself to be a nice adult female with broad, clean white facial patch and ashy-grey flanks. As a train passed, blasting its horn, it took flight and landed much further out in the middle of the river. Not much else off there but a Kingfisher flashed past and the Cetti's Warbler burst into song, further upriver towards Lower Halsdon Farm. 
Nearby, 120 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were feeding on the Imperial rugby ground. I counted 27 juveniles amongst them which was 22.5% of the flock. I don't think that's reflective of the overall breeding success though, as family parties seem to have slightly different feeding preferences. In Exmouth, juvenile birds are often found in the quieter corners as opposed to with the big, noisy congregations.
As it was so calm I had a quick scan off Orcombe Point but could only muster 2 Common Scoters and 2 Great Crested Grebes.

A stroll around the block this evening produced a Common Sandpiper and Redshank, in the brook, near the end of Exeter Road. I can't remember seeing a wintering Common Sand in Exmouth before.

Spoonbill

Mudbank (quick visit) today - 1 Spoonbill, 1 Scaup still, 2 Goldeneye (drake and female), 1 Ringed Plover and 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Scaup

I was really pleased to discover this Scaup off Mudbank this morning. It's my first in Exmouth for over three years. I popped out again this evening, just before dark, and it was a little further upriver. It's a female type with prominent white facial patch but so far it has been too distant to see any real detail. I hope it sticks around to give better views. This evening it was briefly alongside a Great Northern Diver and this morning it was alongside a 'new-in' drake Goldeneye. Also off there - 10 Red-breasted Mergansers and 10 Great Crested Grebes. A Cetti's Warbler was in full song from the tiny patch of reeds beneath Lower Halsdon Farm.

Black-necked Grebe

 Black-necked Grebe - Mudbank.

A Black-necked Grebe was with at least 7 Great Crested Grebes, off Mudbank this afternoon. Normally a very difficult bird to get in Exmouth but this record comes hot on the heels of a pair that was intermittently off Shelly Beach last winter. Not a lot else today but a Firecrest was in gardens at the end of our road, and an early morning look at Orcombe Point yielded the wintering juvenile Cirl Bunting, 38 Lapwing, 2 Stonechat, 1 Chiffchaff, 6 Snipe and 70+ Skylarks. Nearby, on Maer Rocks - at least 4 Purple Sandpipers and a Turnstone. The immature drake Eider was feeding just off the rocks.

Yesterday's dawn visit to Orcombe produced 42 Lapwing, 26 Snipe, 6 Golden Plovers and a Bullfinch.

Bullfinch - Orcombe Point, yesterday morning.

Eider - Maer Rocks, first thing this morning.

Orcombe Point from Maer Rocks.