Hooe Lake
At high tide this morning, a 1st-winter Little Gull was seen in flight. Also present were two Common Gulls and an adult Kittiwake.
Tamar estuary / Ernesettle
On this morning’s high tide, 2 Great Crested Grebe, small flocks of Wigeon and Teal, a 1st winter Common gull, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk overhead. 97 Snipe on Ernesettle creek.
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
25 Goosander 10m 15f, 16 Tufted Duck, 6 Coot, c200 Lapwing, 2 Grey Heron, 8 Fieldfare, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Bullfinch.
Brixton, opposite Rogers garage
Approx 22 Cattle Egrets in field with cows.
Hope’s Nose
A Grey Phalarope spent about 5 minutes on the slick south of The Point from 12.10.
Earlier at 10.45, a probable E S Petrel flew south towards the Orestone.
Around and/or flying past the headland were 32 Great Northern Divers and at least 2 Red-throated Divers. Amongst a large group of GNDs in Hope Cove, one bird uttered a short phrase of its evocative call.
6 Grey Seals and a Harbour Porpoise were also seen.
Happy New Year to you all!
Exe estuary
Viewing from Cockwood steps this afternoon I was surprised to see a Sandwich tern fly by. Also a kingfisher, 6 red-breasted mergansers and 3 great-crested grebes although the rain and wind made for difficult viewing conditions.
Good birding in 2023
Broadsands
A good mix of wintering seabirds this morning: 14 Great Northern Divers, 1 Black-throated Diver, 1 Black-necked Grebe, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Velvet & 30+ Common Scoter. Also 7 Cirl Buntings and 1 Firecrest.
+1 Photo
Fremington Pill
Today while the rain eased-off for a short time I popped out to Fremington Pill. There was very little bird life to be found just a few Redshank, Redwing, a couple of Teal, a Carrion Crow and a single Great Spotted Woodpecker in a tree on the far bank near the Bungalows.
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
46 Goosander 9m – 37f (07:47), 1 Little Egret, 6 Coot, 1 Grey Heron.
+1 Photo
North side of Taw Estuary
pm:- From the Tarka trail a single Ruff still at Pottington, a single Common Sandpiper at Barnstaple & a Med Gull on a sand bank.
Hope’s Nose
At 11.30, I was stunned to watch a Leach’s Storm Petrel 300m NE of The Point being repeatedly harried by a passing raptor. It appeared to survive the tense encounter, just beyond the slick, before disappearing!
Elsewhere, 31 Great Northern Divers, roughly 16 Purple Sandpipers, a Kingfisher, 6 Common Dolphins, a Harbour Porpoise and 2 Grey Seals were seen. Am immature/female Black Redstart was also reported.
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
32 Goosander 9m – 23f, 3 Willow Tit, 3 Redwing, 6 Fieldfare, 5 Coot, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Cormorant, 2 Marsh Tit, 2 Bullfinch.
Skern
A visit each side of high tide resulted in a good number of ducks and waders. Probably 200 or more Golden Plover and Dunlin. 30 or so lapwing, Teal, shelduck Oystercatchers and Curlew.
+1 Photo
Sherpa Marsh
A few hours this afternoon down at Wrafton Pond and Sherpa Marsh. Wrafton Pond was again very disappointing with just a few gulls, one Snipe and some Mallard. Over Sherpa Marsh were two Marsh Harriers.
Torbay Coastal:~
Torbay Coastal:~
Hopes Nose ~ good numbers of Great Northern Diver, seven around the headland and bay, a further eleven out on the sea, with more flying through heading west, some twenty four plus birds.
Guillemot beyond counting, both sat on the sea and flying through. Several Gannet about, three Porpoise and three Seal one enjoying feeding on a conger eel.
Kittiwake showing well.
Across to Broadsands / Elberry ~ Three Great Northern Diver, Fulmar, five Great Crested Grebe, the Scoter flock contained 30 plus birds included a Velvet Scoter and the Long Tailed Duck.
+1 Photo
Salcombe Regis
White-tailed eagle flying around the cliffs at Salcombe Regis this morning
+1 Photo
Garden- Braunton
Think this was probably a result of what it had eaten before visiting our garden, but the first time we have ever seen Green Woodpecker faeces!
Blackcap at last in our Braunton garden
Female BLACKCAP has finally discovered our feeders. Now will she tell her friends 🙂
Broadsands
10.30-12.15
The Long-tailed Duck was first seen on its own on the sea close to the first two benches on the headland. It was later seen further offshore with the Velvet Scoter and about 25 Common Scoter.
A light morph adult Pomarine Skua was north-east of the headland. 9 Great Northern Divers and 6 Great Crested Grebes were also present.
+1 Photo
Tarka Trail from Anchorwood
From Anchorwood along the Tarka Trail, on the high tide, it started off quietly with 20+ curlew and a couple of little egrets in the fields and a dozen redshanks along the edge of the Taw. By the time we got to the salt marshes, opposite the sewage works, there were about 1000 lapwing, several hundred Canada geese, later joined by 100+ brent geese, dozens of shelduck. Apart from the Canada geese the rest seemed to take turns swirling up, maybe to check if any sandbanks were emerging. On the return many oystercatchers and redshank and a single grey plover made the most of the falling tide.
