Bird Sightings

Two spoonbills feeding on the falling tide.

• Walk along cliff path to east of LORP produced many migrants moving west. Several hundred Swallow and fewer House Martin. Small groups of  Skylark  and Meadow Pipit also moving. Two Wheatear in stubble field. Also three Clouded Yellow

Great white egret, 2. Glossy ibis, Teal 60+, Redshank 80+, Oystercatcher 40, L egret 5, Greenshank 4, Canada goose 30

Second ever record for Spoonbill with two flying SW at 1015hrs, 2 Ring Ouzel in Starehole (3 weeks earlier than usual arrival), Meadow Pipit 410 generally moving west, Grey Wagtail 1W, Swallow 100, House Martin 100, Great Spotted Woodpecker moving up through Starehole,  Wheatear 2, Goldcrest, Robin 34, Dartford Warbler, Blackcap 14, Chiffchaff 36, Siskin 22W,  Jay 2 in Starehole, Goldfinch 90.

Oh4 Dunlin and Ringed Plover in the big pit. Ring Necked Paraket was a surprise along the bridleway, my first here. Also, Wheatear, 2 Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Green Woodpecker plus usuals.

Wryneck briefly around 13:00, 2 Cory’s Shearwater still offshore and 5 Balearics flew East.

The only waders along the beach at high tide this morning – apart from 49 Oystercatchers and 4 Curlews at the regular roost site – were 17 Turnstones. Thirty Mediterranean Gulls, mostly adults, were on the stubble field. Two White Wagtails M.a.alba were on the beach and 115 Meadow Pipits flew west in small parties throughout the morning. The only other migrants of note were 40 Siskins in three parties of 9, 6 and 25 at different locations. Also noted were a Grey Seal and a Clouded Yellow.

A walk around the southern part of the Marsh. In the fields viewed from the path alongside the railway were 2 wheatear, two flocks of meadow pipits (totalling c20) and a few pied wagtails. In the Discovery area a small tit flock with a goldcrest and a spotted flycatcher.

At Turf a common sandpiper flew over the canal onto the estuary. There were about 250 curlew on the mud. Also a clouded yellow and grey seal.

From the viewing platform about 300 teal was my highest count this autumn. A single kestrel and an immature buzzard were both mobbed by corvids. A small group of swallows flew north.

A visit on rising tide. 210+ Curlew, Whimbrel, 18 Barwit, 205 Redshank, 13 Lapwing, 2 Knot, 22+ Greenshank & an Avocet.

115 Pintail, 30 Wigeon, 60+ Teal and 5 Shoveler.

Little else of note.

A Swallow flew over the scrape as I was looking for the Godwits late morning. From the reserve I saw three Swallows above. Also 2 singing Chiffchaffs.

A group 14 members met at Seaton Wetlands on Thursday 21st September and saw a total of 57 species across the varying habitats on the reserve. The stand out species were Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Ruff. All showing well for prolonged periods from the Island Hide on Blackhole Marsh. A full list of species will be posted in society news.

John Lloyd

HOUSE MARTIN

Young still being fed in at least two nests

At last! 4 Black-tailed Godwits feeding strongly on the smaller of the two scrapes. Also present, a single Little Egret. Nearby in the reserve a flock of about 40 Goldfinch.

4 Great White Egret on the Taw estuary. Ceti’s Warbler calling at the salt pool. Glossy Ibis on the Pill. Med Gill  and Green Sandpiper on the estuary.kingfisher on the Pill sluice gates. A sorry looking Guillemot on the Taw estuary.

Lunchtime visit – 2 Cory’s Shearwaters lingering fairly close in. An arrival of Blackcaps -70+ and 2 Ring Ouzels in Pigs Nose valley.

A nice mix of birds today including (the?) juv Spoonbill again on Blaxton Meadow (before heading down the estuary), Great Crested Grebe, 2 Yellow Wagtails (with the cows) and a Sedge Warbler. Also, 6+ Siskins, 11 Greenshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers, Black-tailed godwit & Kingfisher.

615pm-715pm- 11 Storm Petrels  -18 Arctic Skuas all north – 55 Balearic Shears mostly north – 3 Manx -Med Gull- c50 kittiwakes