More Cirls

Second-winter Mediterranean Gull off Mudbank yesterday, along with an adult (below).

A pretty non-eventful sea-watch, from the raised beach huts (0800 - 0900) - c90 Gannets, 40+ Kittiwakes, 1 Fulmar, 1 Red-throated Diver and 1 Great Northern Diver.

The regular 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on the Imperial rugby pitch and nearby - 4 Cirl Buntings feeding in weeds near the water's edge on the Imperial recreation ground. This is my first record for this site, though a visiting birder reported one here a few weeks ago.

Off Shelly Beach this afternoon - 40+ Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Peregrine.

Mudbank counts included c115 Pintail, 2 Greenshank, 90 Shelduck, 75+ Grey Plover, 12 Redshank, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 7 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Great Northern Diver and 1 Rock Pipit. Across the other side of the river  - a flock of c25+ Avocets flying downriver and then switching around and heading the other way. A sizeable Knot flock lifted off Cockle Sands and headed upriver before I could properly count them (I got as far as 50) and I was equally unsuccessful counting Bar-tailed Godwits and high numbers of Dunlin.

A pre-dark look at Blackhill Quarry produced 9 Goosander (3 drakes), 2 Tufted Ducks, 1 Little Grebe, 14 Mallard and at least 1 calling Tawny Owl.

Yesterday - 3 Pintail and 14 Common Scoter from Maer Rocks early on. An immature male Eider was off the seafront (and also off the Warren) and a Great Northern Diver was off Shelly Beach. Otherwise - a couple Mediterranean Gulls off Mudbank.

Male Cirl Bunting - Imperial recreation ground. One of four birds this morning. 

A Peregrine shelters from the strong wind whipping across the estuary. It has been a long while since the local pair used to regularly sit on Cockle Sands.

Great Northern Diver - Shelly Beach.

It's great to get 'up close and personal' with the Pale-bellied Brent Geese. With the pitches presumably too water-logged to play on, the two family parties of five seem to be spending all day on here in preference to the estuary.

Eider

A female-type Eider whizzes past marker buoy 5. One of two this morning. Both presumably heading towards the flock off Warren Point.

A look at the sea from 0805 - 0855, in horrible wet and windy weather, produced 120+ Gannets, 6 Great Northern Divers, 2 Eiders, 2 Common Scoters, 1 Fulmar, 4 Wigeon, 1 Great Crested Grebe and an adult Mediterranean Gull. A number of Kittiwakes and auks also passed through.

On the Imperial rugby pitch - 125 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 17 Great Black-backed Gulls.

A quick look off the seafront yesterday revealed 6 Eider and 1 Great Crested Grebe, along with a tired-looking Guillemot and an even more knackered-looking Razorbill.

Common Sandpiper in the brook at Mudbank on Christmas day.

Pale-bellied Brents

Pale-bellied Brent Geese - Imperial rugby ground.

A quick look off the seafront first thing - 8 Eider (in two groups of four off the Warren), 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Common Scoter, 6 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese. Nearby, on Orcombe Point - 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Snipe and 8 Cirl Buntings (slurry pit). Mudbank - 5 Greenshank, 5 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 3 male Teal and the Kestrel.

Yesterday - a Firecrest along Madeira Walk, in the usual spot behind the cricket club. The 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were in Duck Pond and off Mudbank -  7 Teal and a Black-tailed Godwit the only things of note.

On the 21st - the 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese (two family parties of five) were on the Imperial rugby pitch and off Mudbank - 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 25 Grey Plovers, 13 Bar-tailed Godwits, 17 Knot and c60 Mallard. 

20/12 - 2 Red-throated Divers past Maer Rocks and off Mudbank - 80+ Redshank, 6 Greenshank and 12 Knot.

This Week

Pale-bellied Brent Geese - Mudbank. Two of ten yesterday.

Still very quiet in this neck of the woods. The eight Eiders were just inside the estuary as the tide dropped, and 4 Greenshank were off Mudbank, but I was feeling too lazy to count anything else. I cycled into Exeter but the only sighting of note was a flock of c50 Redwings over West Lodge.

Also today - 17 Redwings and 1 Fieldfare on Orcombe Point, along with c30+ Linnets, c15 Meadow Pipits and 3 Chiffchaffs.

Yesterday off Mudbank - 200+ Pintail, 16 Great Crested Grebes, 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 72+ Common Gulls. A quick whiz around Orcombe Point produced 1 Firecrest, 5+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Snipe, c60/70+ Skylarks and a male Bullfinch.

On 11/12 there was a Firecrest and Treecreeper near 'Bumble and Tee, Phear Park, and a Common Sandpiper in the brook, just opposite the entrance to the park.

Chiffchaff - one of three on the dung heap today. 

Common Sandpiper - in the brook near Phear Park - 11/12. This is presumably a returning bird.

Red-breasted Merganser - Shelly Beach 11/12.

Woodcock

Just two Purple Sandpipers on Maer Rocks this morning. Also off there - 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Common Scoter, 3 Shelduck, 3 Kittiwakes and c35 Gannets during a short sea-watch. Otherwise today - 9 Pale-bellied Brent Geese in Duckpond and 1 Woodcock, 12 Siskins and 4+ Bullfinches in a small patch of wet woodland off Castle Lane.

Some bits and bobs from the 8/12 - Orcombe Point - 4 Goldcrests, 4 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 8+ Song Thrushes, 12+ Blackbirds, 2 Bullfinches, 3 Redwings, 1 Chiffchaff, 5 Chaffinches, 1 Firecrest, 2 Snipe, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Kestrel and a fly-over Redshank.

On the Maer - 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, 2 Stonechats and 5 Meadow Pipits.

Off Mudbank - 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 95+ Pintail and 1 Teal.

 

Rock Pipit.

Two Snipe over the slurry pit. A Firecrest was in brambles around the pit but no sign of any Cirl Buntings on the 8th.

Dawn on the 8th.

Serin

With a very narrow window of time after work, and Maer Lane again flooded, I decided to scan a flat-calm sea from the Geoneedle on Orcombe Point, as the Sun dipped below the horizon. Sadly, I wasn't terribly surprised with my count of just 1 Great Crested Grebe but a Serin buzzing past did throw me off guard! I'm sure it won't have gone far as it was so late in the day, but I won't be able to properly look for it 'til Friday. Got to be a chance it will hang around at this time of year...

Grey Plover off Mudbank yesterday. Otherwise c220 Pintail and 134 Shelduck counted.

Frosty

A family party of Pale-bellied Brent Geese - Mudbank.

Still very little to report but Mudbank counts today included 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 18 Teal, at least 3 Shoveler, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and a/the Cetti's Warbler.

I had a stroll round a frosty Orcombe Point, logging c100 Skylark, 7 Cirl Buntings, 1 Golden Plover, at least 3 Chiffchaffs, 6+ Song Thrushes, 2 Stonechats, c10+ Meadow Pipits, 2 Blackcaps and 2 female Common Scoters.

Yesterday off Mudbank - 17 Great Crested Grebes, 26 Little Egrets, 40+ Redshank, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Teal and 2 Kingfishers.

Part of a flock of c70 Curlew in Maer Valley.

Redwing - Maer Valley.

Cirl Bunting. The flock of seven is still near the slurry pit.

Lu and I went for a long walk on the commons this afternoon. A flock of 32 Tufted Ducks in Blackhill Quarry was a high local count. Too much to hope for a Pochard these days. Also there - 1 Moorhen, 1 Little Grebe and 1 Teal.

  I cycled to Topsham yesterday afternoon and stopped to have a quick look at Goosemoor. This Marsh Harrier showed brilliantly. Not a species I see very often in Exmouth, but apparently they're becoming pretty regular at the north end of the estuary.