Broadsands
Watching from Headland: 1 Black-necked Grebe, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 16+ Great Northern Divers, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Velvet Scoter, 32 Common Scoter, 2 Shelduck, 1 Brent Goose1, Grey Plover.
The Skern at high tide
Mid-afternoon on the high tide at The Skern the male black redstart was busy patrolling the boulders just past the entrance bridge. There were many brent geese, oystercatchers, wigeon, 500+ dunlin, dozens of grey plover, a few golden plover, ringed plover, turnstones, redshank, shelduck, 6 pintail, and the summer plumaged black-tailed godwit (noted yesterday by Jon Turner) was tucked in with a large group of curlews.
Aylesbeare Common, Colyford Common & Mudbanks, Exmouth
Highlights:
Aylesbeare (08:44-10:50)
Firecrest, Goldcrest, Jay, Treecreeper, GS Woodpecker.
Colyford (11:22-12:28)
Isabelline Wheatear, Rock Pipit.
Mudbanks (13:20-14:00)
Goldeneye (pair), Sandwich Tern, female Scaup.
Crossbanks
The female/immature Black Redstart was still present this aft & after spending some time actively foraging in the winter sunshine it decided to fly underneath this parked vehicle.
Broadsands
3 great northern divers and a distant flock of scoters seen from the cliff overlooking Broadsands.
Southdown Farm, Soar
First farmland bird count of 2023 turned up 6 Snipe, 460 Skylark (would expect c.1000 by now), 9 Meadow Pipit, Sparrowhawk, 80 Goldfinch, just 19 Yellowhammer & 150 Cirl Bunting.
Non-avian: 18 Sika Deer & 11 Roe Deer.
Cholwichtown Pit, Dartmoor
Goldeneye (f) and redhead Goosander on pit this PM. What3Words for pit: ///stockpile.bombshell.dished
Tamar Lakes
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
43 Goosander 10m – 33f (07:50), 1 Whooper Swan, 1 Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Marsh Tit, c100 Lapwing, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Buzzards.
Upper Tamar Lake.
c400 Lapwing, c150 Golden Plover, 13 Tufted Duck 10m 3f, 1 Snipe, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Meadow Pipet, 2 Grey Heron, 4 Cormorant, c300 Canada Geese, c200 Black-headed Gulls.
Bowling Green Marsh, for yesterday
A good high tide at BGM yesterday with pochard and spoonbil present alongside the usual waders (inc dunlin, greenshank amd bar tailed godwit) and wildfowl (including flyover brent geese).
Islay Marsh
Today at high tide 4 Spoonbills and a Kingfisher. Also kids riding round reserve late afternoon on noisy dirt bikes. Not sure if this should be reported somewhere?
Velator Quay to Horsey Island
Common Sandpiper flew upriver on high tide. Female/immature Black Redstart halfway along by small slipway at red sign. 3 Grey Plovers near Crow Point end and Water Rail calling in roadside ditch there.
Around the Teign Estuary
Highlights were, from the point, at least 6 Great Northern Divers, Gannets and a probable Black Throated Diver. Passage House, circa 16 Avocets, 4 Little Grebes, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 male Red Breasted Merganser and a Common Gull amongst the many gulls.
North Devon
Still getting Nuthatches on my feeders in the garden, a good start to the year. An earlyish dog walk added GSW and LT Tit. Little Grebe and Snipe as already mentioned on Wrafton Pond. Little Egret out on the scrape. Meadow Pipit and P Wagtail on the way across to the reserve, where 35+ Redwing, plenty of Green and Gold Finch plus a brace of Bullfinch. Marsh Harrier over Sherpa. Goldcrest and Treecreeper also present. Over at the Skern, the smart male Black Redstart still, along with a host of waders, including a stunning summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit. Pintail, Wigeon, Shelduck and Teal all present and plenty of Brent Geese. 2 Great Northern Divers offshore and then a Great-crested Grebe Finished at Fremington Creek, where the Spotted Redshank was at the top end with Green and Redshank. So this is where all the Godwits go when they aren’t on Wrafton Scrape.. Later the 2 Glossy Ibis were by the pill then flew up to the roost to join 3 Cattle Egret. A good day out with 66 species seen plus 2 heard. (Cetti’s and Wren). Happy and Birdy New Year to all.
Powderham Park – Exminster
A GN Diver was off the Kenn outfall, 3 Egyptian Geese were very vocal in the Park, 75 Barwits (but, for once, no Pintail) were off Powderham Corner, and, on Exminster Marsh, 2 Peregrines and 2 Marsh Harriers were spooking the many hundreds each of Lapwing, Golden Plover, Dunlin and Starlings.
Back in Exeter, a Blackcap “tacking” its way to roost made 70 spp. for the day.
Velator quay to White House
From velator quay marsh harrier in the read beds, kingfisher down by cross flats , lots of flocks of lapwing out above and round horsey island, further down towards White House stonechat and sparrow hawk, also greater spotted woodpecker
Plym Estuary & Saltram
Seventy-one species seen on my New Year’s Day count including: 4 Lesser Redpolls, 3 Firecrests, Treecreeper, 2 Grey Wagtails, Chiffchaff, 3 Stonechats (2 males), Siskin, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Sparrowhawk, 2 Kingfishers, adult Kittiwake, 2 3rd cy Mediterranean Gulls, Grey Plover, 43 Snipe (showing well on Blaxton Meadow), 7 Greenshanks, Common Sandpiper, 429 Dunlins, 6 Turnstones, 27+ Wigeon, female Red-crested Pochard & 3 Goosanders (1 drake). Also, 5 Roe Deer.
+1 Photo
Chivenor to Wrafton Pond
Many thanks to Andy Leat for pointing out the two Snipe that were on the small pond adjacent to the Scrape. A Marsh Harrier made an appearance over the reed bed. Very little on the pond other than a few gulls, a couple of Snipe and a Little Grebe. One Coal Tit in the adjacent trees.
+1 Photo
Heanton Court to Chivenor
Happy New year to everybody. This morning on my walk from Heanton Court to Wrafton Pond I spotted on the section between H.C to Chivenor one Greenshank, some Oystercatacher and three Redshank on the muddy bank near the boats. Further on just beyond the tunnel there were a small number of Blackbirds, a Robin, six House Sparrows and a Song Thrush.
+1 Photo
Fremington Pill
Fremington Pill on today’s high tide – 100+ black-tailed godwit, dozens of redshank, 3 greenshank, 2 curlew, one little grebe, plenty of teal, 2 shelduck. No sign of glossy ibis or the spotted redshank. At the Quay there was a gathering of oystercatchers, black-headed and herring gulls, one little egret and one grey plover. In the Penhill fields there were pied wagtails and meadow pipits, with 30+ redwing in the trees. On the return along the Pill there was one grey wagtail and finally 20+ snipe in small groups the reeds in front of the bungalows.
Farway, Colyton
On bird feeders in garden at Netherton, Farway 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker (1m and 1f), 2 Nuthatch, 2 Marsh Tit, about 8 Greenfinch, 10-12 Goldfinch, Great Tits, 10+ of both Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tit, at least 2m and 2f Siskin and more than 10 Chaffinch on ground with Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Robins and Collared Doves.
