The Skern high tide today
The highlight was the huge flock, estimated 2,000, of Golden Plover which got airborne a couple of times and gave amazing displays overhead. We found a resting flock of 45 Grey Plover and about 100 Dunlin were scouring the wet mud for food. 100’s of Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Wigeon and Brent Geese were seen, along with a few Pintail and 2 Turnstone. A few Greenshank and Redshank were spread across the bay, mainly on grassy areas. There were two sleeping ducks, bills tucked well under wings, on the large freshwater pool which I think were male Tufted, but they were a long way off.
Firecrest higher Brixham
Firecrest looking for food in my back garden higher Brixham .
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning,
5 Lesser Scaup 3m 2f, 33 Goosander 8m 25f (08:15), 2 Grey Heron, 3 Marsh Tit, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Wren, 2 Robin.
River Mole Valley
50 Herring Gull mostly juveniles and 15Pied Wagtails with the cattle feeding on stubble turnips.25 Meadow Pipits in the barley earsh. Best today was a mixed flock of Lesser Redpolls and Siskin in the orchard along with Marsh Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch,Greenfinch , male Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, 2 GSW,Goldcrest, Redwing feeding on holly berries and Fieldfare feasting on apples.Non avian included 4 Roe Deer and 4 Red Deer hinds.Tawny Owls
Slapton
On the Sea: 1 Velvet Scoter straight out from memorial car park – by itself. Further out 60 + Common Scoter (one wing flapped 2x with head up but too far out to see if it had any white in the wing – or not!), 3 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver.
On the Ley: 2 Great White Egrets, 1 Little Egret, 3 Goldeneye (All females), 1 Pintail (drake – unusual at site), 3 Wigeon no sign of any Scaup sp. among the many Tufted Ducks at Torcross, middle Ley or Ireland Bay.
Beesands: Just 13 Tufted Ducks, 5 Mute Swans and 3 coot!
Wembury Point
Yesterday (4th), 24 gannets fishing close in to Wembury Point, with 3 (possibly four) guillemots nearby. Also of note – 25 turnstone, 16 curl bunting, 25 skylark, and a raven.
Broadsands
5 cirl buntings in with 20ish house sparrows edge of northern car park.GN diver with large fish being mobbed by gulls,eventually submerged to finish its snack
Haldon Forest
A single brambling amongst the Chaffinches, and Siskins at the feeders at Haldon Forest yesterday. Also 1 GS woodpecker and 1 Nuthatch.
Red Kite Lewdown
- Red kite flying at Lewdown near Stowford turning 13.10 today
For Park Cemetery, Plymouth
Monday 4th, 10am. Large group of Redwings feeding on the Holly berries quite oblivious of noise from a nearby building site. Also two Green Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush.
River Otter, Tipton St John
Morning walk with the dogs. 4 Goosanders (1 drake), Dipper, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Kingfisher and 2 Goldcrest
Plym Estuary & Saltram
On the high tide this morning: Great Northern Diver, 2 Goosanders (1 drake), 54 Wigeon, 3 drake Teal, 33 Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshanks, 16 Oystercatchers, 19 Turnstones, Raven, Sparrowhawk & 2 Firecrests.
Cholwichtown Pit, Dartmoor
Female Goldeneye still on the pit.
+1 Photo
Brixham and Berry Head
Kayak trip Brixham and Berry Head today:
15 Purple Sandpiper at Breakwater
4 Great Northern Divers
1 Red-throated Diver
plus 40 Common Dolphins (3 pods)
and 8+ Harbour Porpoise
Fremington Pill this morning
Starting at Pill Head, Fremington, with the tide 90 minutes after high:
Spotted Redshank and a female Kingfisher, numerous teal, mallard and common Redshank. 3 Curlew, 5 Snipe, 2 Greenshank, 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Little Egret, 2 Dunlin, 1 Grey Plover. Another Kingfisher seen at the quay on the River Taw.
Blackcaps Brixham
Two male blackcaps feeding on fat balls in my garden in Brixham.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
Back on the patch today on the low (falling) tide: Great Northern Diver, 3 Jack Snipe. 24+ Snipe, 25 Turnstones, c380 Dunlins, 2 Common Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit, 59 Wigeon, 7 Goosanders (4 drakes), Red-breasted Merganser (1st-w drake), 4 Little Grebes, 2+ Green Woodpeckers, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail & 6 Roe Deer.
Wembury Beach 1:00 pm
At least one Purple Sandpiper at the beach, still feeding on the seaweed, at the same location given by Stuart Green. The birds were very flighty due to the number of walkers using the coast path. Firecrest and male Blackcap along Church Road just below the lower junction with Southland Park Road.
Tamar Lakes
5 Lesser Scaup 3m 2f, 1m Tufted Duck, 3 Willow Tit, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Marsh Tit, 29 Teal, c20 Snipe, 3 Cormorants.
Upper Lake
2 Willow Tit, 2 Marsh Tit .
Exminster Marsh and estuary from Turf
A high tide visit this morning, in cold clear conditions. 4+ Marsh Harriers (1cy, 2cy F/poss Ad F, 2cy M with pale/grey underwing inner primaries & an advanced 2 cy/3 cy male with grey inner primaries on both upper & lower wing).
450+ Teal, 300+ Wigeon & 3 Shoveler on semi frozen marsh. 58 Pintail on estuary. Little Grebe on lagoon. Only 5 Coot on canal.
700+ Golden Plover, 240+ Lapwing, 15 Blackwit, 16 Curlew, 20+ Dunlin, 3 Redshank, a Ruff, a Snipe and a Turnstone on the marsh. 500+ Blackwit, 36 Barwit, 320 Avocet, 300+ Dunlin, single Grey Plover on estuary, joined by Golden Plover. Also 100+ Brent Geese & a Great Crested Grebe. Tide still dropping.
Otherwise Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, 12+ Meadow Pipit, 3 Stonechat, 10+ Redwing, 2 Fieldfare best of the rest.
