Bird Sightings

Two Chiffchaffs in the garden this afternoon. 18/01/2023 at 2.30pm

My first sighting this year of one of a one time daily pair to the garden feeders since November 12th. A little blurry, photo’d through window in the drizzle.

This leucistic Brent Goose was in the Brent flock by turf. Please note with older records like this you need to give the date as the date stamp on the record will only be the day submitted.

Purple Sandpiper on Brixham Breakwater and one of many Great Northern Divers in Broadsands Bay.

Monday visit with DB Plymouth group. Purple Sandpiper, Shag, GND, Rock Pipit.

Yesterday with DB Plymouth group Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Blue, Great and LT tits, Goldcrests, C Buzzard, Black Necked Grebe, GND,, Common Scoter, Shags, Common Gulls, GBBG’s Gannets.

Yesterday am:- – Several Song Thrush in fields around Braunton Marshes. A single Common Sandpiper Caen Estuary & female Black Redstart at Crossbanks.

Avocets and Godwits in abundance this afternoon, also Snipe, Pintails and Widgeon.

Early start on Monday, I arrived on Slapton beach before sunrise.  As the sun came up the Laughing Gull came into view and as the morning progressed I managed to get a number of photos.  I walked along the beach from the Memorial car park to the shops. About 3/4 of the way to the shops a struggling Black-headed gull caught my attention.  The gull was waterline of an in coming tide fighting to keep its head above water. A close-up through my camera revealed why it was struggling, it had a fishing hook attached to its beak with a short length of line and a heavy gripper weight (a weight with wires designed to grip the seabed) anchored to the floor.  I freed and released the bird and took the offending discarded fishing gear away for safe disposal.