Berry Head
08.45 – 10.30; 3+ Arctic Skua, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 3+ Med Hills and good numbers of auks/kittiwakes. 4+ Ring Ouzel at bottom of quarry and 2 Black Redstarts.
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Emsworthy & Haytor
Fabulous hour in between heavy showers Tuesday afternoon. Flocks of 200+ fieldfares and redwings plus minimum 16 ring ouzels on Emsworthy. At times the ouzels split out and were feeding on the burnt gorse outside the reserve entrance. Also 2 separate flocks of golden plover, and flushed a single snipe.
East Soar
A quieter day but still 2 Ring Ouzel, Fieldfare 19 (13E 6W), Redwing 25E, Song Thrush 5 inc.2W, Stock Dove 43 (37E 6W), Woodpigeon 68 (27E 41W), Jackdaw 5E, Starling 42E, Goldfinch 27E, Siskin 20E, 2 migrant Great Spotted Woodpecker, Golden Plover, Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 150 Skylark & 6 Bullfinch.
Non-avian: Clouded Yellow & Speckled Wood.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
An excellent count of 10 Firecrests; also, Lesser Redpoll (my first ever here), Lapwing, Dipper, c35 Redwings over, 25 Jackdaws east, Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 19 Wigeon, ad-w Mediterranean Gull, 10 Greenshanks & 2 Roe Deer.
Late Post – Horsey
Late aft – 1 Spoonbill flew in & joined the Little Egrets for a short time before being moved on by the incoming tide.
A361
Red Kites-Just like buses, you don’t see one for a while and then three come along at the same time. Today at 11.45 am on the A361 between the West Buckland junction and Aller Cross roundabout there were three Red Kites flying low over a field on the right-hand side. No photos as driving at the time.
Avon Dam
12+ Ring Ouzel around first bridge with another 15+ around the dam; quite mobile so difficult to count accurately. Ringtail Hen Harrier flew across the valley 100 yards past the first bridge approx 12.40. Fem/imm Black Redstart along the top of the dam. 100 + Fieldfare, mostly around car park but only 2 Redwing seen. Goshawk seen soaring distantly and looking South from car park approx 15.00.
Bicton Lake, East Budleigh
Juv Ring-necked Duck Bicton Lake, East Devon this evening. Best viewed from Bicton Botanical Gardens.
It is presumably the same bird first discovered at Dawlish Warren on 27 Sep by Kev Rylands which then re-located to Blackhill Quarry up until 3rd October. As far as I know, it has not been reported since.
South Brent Winter Thrushes
Although not as many as over the previous three days the numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing remains impressive at South Brent, one of my holly trees as expected has been stripped bare of berries.
It was only a matter of time before the numbers attracted birds of prey but I did not expect to see a high soaring Goshawk, my third sighting here this year.
Eds – photo appears to show a Sparrowhawk, not a Goshawk.
Northam Burrows Snow Buntings
Two Snow Buntings feeding near the 8th green.
Harleston by Slapton
120 Fieldfare & 20 Redwing in the valley today.
Emsworthy Mire
Eleven members of DB (East Devon Branch) attended this morning’s field walk around the fields of the reserve and were quickly rewarded with numbers of Ring Ouzel (c20) and Fieldfare (c100). Redwings were only present in single numbers. Other birds present included a pair of Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel and Raven. The meeting ended at 11.30 when rain moved in, and the birds dispersed south. See also DB Facebook page.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
During a walk this morning (low tide): c55 Fieldfares west, 5 Redwings, 2 Firecrests, c20 Siskins, Grey Wagtail, Sparrowhawk, 8 Wigeon, drake Teal, 3 redhead Goosanders, Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Grebes & a 1st cy Mediterranean Gull.
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
3 Goosander 1m 2 f (first this winter), 1 Great White Egret, 2 Mute Swan, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Coot.
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Fremington Pill
This morning along Fremington Pill where there were a lot of Redshank and Teal. There were also two Glossy Ibis, a couple of Little Egrets, a Curlew, a couple of Black-tailed Godwit, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, a Ruff, a couple of Greenshank and the usual gulls and Mallard.
Soar Mill Valley & Southdown Farm
A good thrush day with 4 Ring Ouzel, 335 Fieldfare (238E & 97W), 10 Redwing, 31 Blackbird, 3 Mistle Thrush flying east & 2 Song Thrush. Also: Snipe, Merlin, 380 Skylark, 140 Meadow Pipit, 7 Teal, 65 Robin, 2 Cetti'[s Warbler, 38 Jackdaw (34W 4E), 540 Starling (122W, 18E & 400 grounded), 100 Linnet, m20 Chaffinch, 36 Goldfinch & 5 Bullfinch.
Staddon heights
Walked the public footpath through the livery fields lots of pied wagtails meadow pipit and goldfinches around the fields and a couple couple of wheatear feeding on a dung pile…the horse fields do seem to attract alot of birds
Soar
Between the rain: 6 Ring Ouzels, Whinchat, Firecrest, 11 Chiffchaffs, 13 Goldcrests, Cetti’s Warbler, 260+ Fieldfares over + c50 grounded, 26 Redwings, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Bullfinches, Lapwing, 4 Swallows, Pintail, 7 Teal & 21 Stock Doves..
+1 Photo
South Brent
One of yesterday’s Fieldfares in the Dockwell area had a very conspicuous white head. Attached photo at distance and in poor light doesn’t really do it justice, but the contrast with normal birds is apparent. Can’t recall seeing a Fieldfare with a white head before, but there’s a photo of one on p11 in Norman’s (1994) book, The Fieldfare.
Avon Dam
Ring Ouzel ~40 but so much movement could have been slightly more/less. Lots of Fieldfare too. Firecrest and a Black Redstart on the Dam. Rowan berry crop is dismal, Holly & Hawthorn ok, so can’t image thrushes will stay long.
