Merlin

A dreadful record shot of this evening's Merlin on Orcombe Point - a juvenile found in torrential rain and near darkness, after work. Not ideal but it's a lot better than not seeing a Merlin!

Yesterday, early doors on Orcombe Point - 1 Whitethroat, 3 Snipe, 4 Redpoll, 1 Yellowhammer, 3800+ Woodpigeons, 30+ Chaffinches, 50+ Goldfinches, 5 Song Thrushes, 12+ Pied Wagtails, 8+ Goldcrests, 7 Chiffchaffs, 26+ Jackdaws, 5+ Siskins, 19 Starlings, 1 Blackcap, 12 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Ring-necked Parakeets, 5 Stonechats and 18+ Skylarks.

Mudbank - the Red-throated Diver and female Common Scoter still, 18+ Great Crested Grebes and 1 Red-breasted Merganser.

RTD

 Fieldfare - Orombe Point 27/10.

Today's highlight was a Red-throated Diver off Mudbank. A first for me there. A quick dash back to the house and I was soon watching it from the back garden. Listing is such a ridiculous pursuit. I haven't the first clue what my British list is, but I still keep track of what I see from the house. Very little counting done as the tide dropped, but 57 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 6 Knot, 1 Rock Pipit, 80+ Jackdaws, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and 17 Great Crested Grebes noted. A quick look at Duckpond revealed 1 Ringed Plover and 11 Common Gulls. The continuing south-westerly breeze has ruined any chance of 'viz mig' on Orcombe. All I managed to log this morning was a single Firecrest, 1 Redwing, 5 Song Thrushes, 10 Blackbirds, 4 Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests and the lingering Whitethroat. A thirty minute look at the sea produced 8 Common Scoters, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Red-throated Diver, 85+ Gannets and 25+ Kittiwakes.

Yesterday - Orcombe Point from 0740 - quiet, with the Whitethroat still, 2 Cirl Buntings, 1 Snipe, 3 Dark-bellied Brent Geese (cutting over Gore Lane/Bristol Schools, which is most unusual), 13 Siskins and just c700 Woodpigeons.

Mudbank - 105 Pintail, 16 Great Crested Grebes, 340 Dunlin, 3 Greenshank, 4 Knot and 35 Bar-tailed Godwits (Cockle Sands).

27/10 - Orcombe from 0855 - 1045 - a late start - 1 Fieldfare, the lingering Ring Ouzel and the Whitethroat still, plus c3000 Woodpigeons, 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Bullfinches of note.

Mudbank - wader counts included 4 Knot, 6 Greenshank, 1 Grey Plover, c100 Turnstones, 27 Dunlin, 65 Redshank, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits and c80 Black-tailed Godwits. Also - 35+ Little Egrets, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and 90+ Pintail amongst the usual stuff.

Hoping this Whitethroat stays into November.

An odd gull off Mudbank this evening. Possibly hybrid Caspian x Herring but way too much wrong with it for pure Caspian.

Ringed Plover - Duckpond.

Woodpigeons

A good movement of Woodpigeons west this morning - c10,000+ I think but it's so difficult to be sure. The largest flock I estimated to be c1500 birds, stretched out high over the sea. At one point, following a Peregrine attack, hundreds of birds dropped from the sky and rocketed past, feet away, at head height in a bid to escape. The loud 'WHOOSH' as they did so was utterly breathtaking. Birds were still on the move when I left at 11am. The total could be significantly higher but I'm a cautious counter, preferring to count minimums rather than over-count. Also this morning, from 0740, in fine conditions - 1 Ring Ouzel (yesterday's bird, and quite likely the bird first noted on the 22nd), 2 Cirl Buntings, 4 Redwings, 260+ Jackdaws, c25 Pied Wagtails, 70+ Chaffinches, 7 Song Thrushes, c20+ Meadow Pipits, 27+ Siskins, 9+ Goldcrests, c40 Robins, 2 Grey Wagtails, 8+ Blackbirds, 18+ Stock Doves, up to 36 Starlings, 4 Reed Buntings, 3+ Redpolls, 90+ Goldfinches, 7 Stonechats, 1 Rook, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 8 Chiffchaffs, 1 Kestrel, 2 Peregrines, 5 Red-legged Partridges, 2 Ring-necked Parakeets and 1 Coal Tit.

Mudbank - 1 juvenile Spoonbill, 1 Shoveler, c130 Pintail, c45 Redshank, 11 Great Crested Grebes, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Greenshank, 133 Shelduck, 20 Turnstones and 5 Dunlin.

The Ring Ouzel was again present this morning - vocal and mobile, ranging from the top of the lane that leads down to the Bristol Schools camp, all the way down to the south east corner of the Bristol Schools field.

Cirl Bunting

I normally see the rear end of the 5 Red-legged Partridges as they explode from cover, so it was quite nice to get close views today. Credit to this Rabbit that unsettled them and flushed them towards me.

Black Red

 This Black Redstart popped up on a roof (as they tend to do) along Halsdon Avenue, as Lu and I walked the dog this afternoon. My first of the autumn.

Orcombe Point early on - was hoping for a clear start but it rained for the first hour of daylight - scuppering any early overhead movement whilst simultaneously failing to drop anything! Noteworthy sightings included yesterday's Whitethroat again, 1 Blackcap, 1 Ring Ouzel, 5 Stonechats, c10 Chiffchaffs, 9+ Goldcrests, 17+ Chaffinches, 6+ Song Thrushes, 12+ Blackbirds, 1200+ Woodpigeons, 9+ Stock Doves, 3 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Siskins, 2 Reed Buntings, 1 Redpoll and at least 24 Skylarks. Two Peregrines were showing considerable interest in the Woodpigeons.

Mudbank on the incoming tide - 1 juvenile Spoonbill, 7 Greenshank, 15+ Redshank, 22 Black-tailed Godwits and 12+ Teal. I didn't count the numerous Wigeon and Dark-bellied Brent Geese but there were a few Pintail present, and still good numbers of Pale-bellied Brent Geese, way out on Cockle Sands. Nearby, on Halsdon Avenue - a Black Redstart.

One of this morning's Woodpigeon flocks heading out over the bay above Orcombe Point.

The Whitethroat was again at the top end of the weedy field - feeding amongst the weeds and flushed up into the hedge.

So difficult to photograph today's Ring Ouzel. This was the best I could do. I'm sure it's lovely joining the crowds, chasing flocks of these around Dartmoor, but to hear that 'tack' from a hedgerow, on your local patch, on a grey autumnal day, takes some beating.

The juvenile Spoonbill was off Mudbank again today.

Late Whitethroat

Whitethroat

I wasn't able to get up to Orcombe 'til late in the morning so must have missed a lot of stuff. Paul had a Merlin chasing Linnets and pipits in the top fields but it was gone by the time I got up there. Woodpigeons were still moving west with c900+ noted. Otherwise the best bird was a late Whitethroat. Also noted - c60 Starlings, 6 Stonechats, 2 Reed Buntings, 1 Redpoll, 2 Siskins, 69 Jackdaws (all west) and a Redwing along with a few other bits and pieces.

Mudbank late pm - 40 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, c80 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Knot, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Kingfisher and a first-winter Mediterranean Gull.

Orcombe yesterday  - a nice walk around with Libby  but it was too blown out to be any good. A Snipe flushed from the weedy field and a flock of c80+ Jackdaws the only things of any note.

Mudbank late afternoon - 1 juvenile Spoonbill, 4 Greenshank, 12 Redshank, 42 Black-tailed Godwits, 210+ Dunlin, 4 Teal, c30 Turnstones and 1 Knot. The Brent Geese and Wigeon weren't counted.

Roe Deer

This Sparrowhawk was heading high east over Orcombe yesterday morning. Presumably just looking for high-flying migrants as opposed to migrating anywhere?

This juvenile Spoonbill was off Mudbank yesterday afternoon but it soon moved out onto the estuary as the tide dropped.

Woodpigs, SEO, GWE

A beautiful morning this morning. Woodpigeons featured with c3500 west between 0735 and 1050. Largest flock size c500 birds. Also this morning - 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Ring Ouzel, 1 Brambling, 1+ Golden Plover, c65+ Chaffinches, 13+ Reed Buntings, 9+ Redpolls, c40 Pied Wagtails, 10+ Blackbirds, 12+ Song Thrushes, 25+ Siskins, c60+ Goldfinches, 40+ Meadow Pipits, c30/40 Linnets, c10 Greenfinches,  3 Stonechats, 2 Swallows, 8+ Goldcrests, c10 Chiffchaffs, 40+ Jackdaws, 20+ Skylarks, 1 Bullfinch, 2 Coal Tits, 13+ Starlings, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 or 3 Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel. 

Mudbank on the dropping tide - not much counted but a Great White Egret, upriver at 2pm, was the highlight. Otherwise - 2 Grey Plovers, 40+ Turnstones, 144 Shelduck, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Redshank.

This morning's Ring Ouzel before it plunged into deep cover.

 Great White Egret - upriver at 2pm.

Meadow Pipits

Jack Snipe, Radford's Flame Shoulder

Radford's Flame Shoulder. Other migrant species, trapped last night, included 1 Pearly Underwing, 2 Olive-tree Pearl (Palpitta vitrealis), 1 Rush Veneer and c15 Rusty Dot Pearl.

I almost trod on this morning's Jack Snipe - my first in Exmouth this year. It flushed from the weedy field and landed somewhere the other side of the hedge. Other records this morning included the autumn's first Fieldfare, 2 Cirl Buntings, 10+ Pied Wagtails, 30+ Meadow Pipits, 1+ Redpoll, 2+ Siskins, 2 Reed Buntings, 30+ Chaffinches, 30+ Goldfinches, 100+ Woodpigeons, 2 Stock Doves, 1+ Swallow, 3 Stonechats, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2+ Skylarks, 1 Grey Wagtail, 10+ Chiffchaffs,  and 4 Goldcrests.

Mudbank, shortly after high tide - the autumn's first Red-breasted Merganser, a female Common Scoter, c135 Pintail, c700 Brent Geese, 32+ Turnstones, 3 Redshank, 1 Knot, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Dunlin and 1 Sandwich Tern. I didn't count the Wigeon but somewhere between 500 and 1000 would seem a reasonable estimate.

 Pearly Underwing