Seaton Wetland
Mid afternoon watch from the Black Hole Marsh island hide:
- 1 Curlew Sandpiper
- 1 Little Stint,
- 2 Ruff
- 6 Ringed Plover
- 7 Dunlin
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 2 Lapwing
- 14 Redshank.
Powderham Corner to Exminster VP, via Turf
200 Dunlin on the sea wall roosting at high tide, south of Turf. Amongst them were 2 Juv Curlew Sandpiper & a Juv Little Stint. 5 Ad Common Gull, first sign of their arrival. Also 5 Swallow.
From Turf 3 Sandwich Tern, 210 Curlew, 3 Grey Plover & first Shelduck returning amongst small numbers of other waders.
From Exminster VP, 10 Gadwall, 12+ Shoveler, 60+ Teal & 2 Little Grebe. Imm Kestrel being only other bird of note.
Tarka Trail, Ashford side.
A walk along the trail at lunchtime on the high tide but with mud still exposed. Large numbers of canada geese (100-200) spread about. 200-300 oystercatchers spread along the trail. Couple of dozen bar tailed godwits still in summer plumage. 20-30 dunlin with a couple of curlew sandpiper mixed in. 20-30 redshank, only 1 or 2 curlew. 1 great white egret, about 6 little egrets spread along the walk. 3 cormorant on the river, 2 teal flying over. 30-40 swallows migrating south. BH gulls and several dragonflies buzzing about but not able to identify them
Bovisand
Fourteen Mediterranean Gulls, 12 Sandwich Terns and 3 Turnstones were noted at Bovisand this morning.
Wembury Point
0700-0900: 4 Cory’s Shearwaters – 3 between 0700-0800 and a 4th at 08:44 – all just past the Mew Stone. Also a single Manxie, 3 Med Gulls. Other shears too far out to call.
The Skern and Fremington
Yesterday’s spoonbills were the icing on the cake…before that at the Skern were several wheatear, linnet,pied wagtail and meadow pipit. A mini murmeration of starlings, 80 to 100 curlew, 100+ oystercatchers. Peregrine sat on the ground chased off by a large juvenile Peregrine. Fremington pill had 4 greenshank, 3 glossy ibis, 9 knot,redshanks a few teal and a kingfisher. On the river 4 great white Egret,3 herons, several little egrets and on Saltpill were 2 snipe. A good day’s birding!
Lower Tamar Lake
Late for Saturday 23rd.
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
1 Willow Tit, 1 Marsh Tit, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 11 Blue Tit, 9 Chaffinch, 1 Robin, 5 Coal Tit, 15 Moorhen, 1 Wren, 14 Coot, 5 Mallard, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Goldcrest, 5 Long-tailed Tit.
Taw at Heanton
Two spoonbills feeding on the falling tide.
Migrants East Budleigh
- 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
Friday, 22nd Sept Fremington, R Taw
Great white egret, 2. Glossy ibis, Teal 60+, Redshank 80+, Oystercatcher 40, L egret 5, Greenshank 4, Canada goose 30
East Soar 0700 -1030
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.
Crownhill Down
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.
Prawle Point
Wryneck briefly around 13:00, 2 Cory’s Shearwater still offshore and 5 Balearics flew East.
Wembury
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.
Exminster Marshes
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.
Bowling Green Marsh & Goosemoor
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.
Wrafton Scrape etc
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.
Plymouth branch visit to Seaton Wetlands
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

Fremington Pill – Saltpill Duck Pond
- 6 Greenshanks
- 2 Kingfishers
- 3 Glossy Ibis
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Spotted Redshank
- 3 Great Egrets
- 4 Dunlin
- 1 Bar-tailed Godwit
- 2 Cetti’s Warblers
- 1 Water Rail
- 1 Peregrine
- 5 Knot

Cory’s Shearwater Plymouth
An exhausted Cory’s Shearwater was picked up on Wednesday evening on the Hoe and was successfully released early this morning from the Hoe. After it gathered itself and avoided the attentions of a GBBG it flew off strongly towards Mt Edgecumbe