Bird Sightings

Walked down to Crossbanks to check the Wader flock. A busy lot of Dunlin (60 or 70?) had within it single Knot, Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper. Nearby 1 Redshank and 7 Greenshank. Today’s disturbance was from a crab tiler waiting for the tide to drop enough to get at the tiles.

On the way home cracking views of the adult female Marsh Harrier at Sherpa.

Mid morning visit. On the lagoon 5 ruff, 5 knot, 3+ black-tailed godwit and a little stint. Also 3 cattle egrets flew in to drink. A wheatear was on the lagoon’s bank.

Amongst the roosting gulls, mostly black-headed, in the field towards Turf were a further 9 cattle egrets and a single lapwing. Later in the morning there were 26 cattle egrets roosting on the lagoon bank and a further 9 with cattle to the south.

At Turf 2 sandwich terns and an adult Med gull moulting into winter plumage. The juv marsh harrier was seen near the lagoon and again over a recently cut field next to Station Road with 2 common buzzards and 2 kestrels.

During an evening visit to Hennock Reservoirs 6 teal, 3 common sandpiper, one little grebe, 6 tufted duck and maybe 30 or so mallard. Water levels exceptionally low in the reservoir so lots of ‘beach’ and mud. Also, earlier in the day over the house, peregrine seen in an encounter with a drone. Irritatingly, drone being used to film an adjacent property to go on the market so over peoples gardens and houses. The peregrine appeared from nowhere to investigate, although didn’t make contact. 

Wrafton Pond Duck bonanza! Well almost! Some Teal – unusual here, 5 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler and best were 2 Pintail.

In the reserve, 3 Teal, 1 Grey Heron, and a host of Blue Tits in a large Tit flock also containing GSW, several Chiffs,  a few Chaffinches,  a Great Tit, LT Tit and also present 15 or so Goldfinch.

07:44 – 11:07

Osprey on post (River Exe), Curlew Sandpiper and Kingfisher from viewing platform.

Marsh – Spoonbill; Ruff (1); Mediterranean Gull (1); Curlew (140+); Whimbrel (1); Yellow Wagtail (2); Knot (1); Dunlin; Common Sandpiper; Pintail (4); Snipe;  Wigeon; Teal; Shoveler; Redshank; House and Sand Martin; young Shelduck (4).

2 Glossy Ibis , 3 Greenshanks , 1 Dunlin , 1 Osprey ,1 Great Egret , 1 Juvenile Buzzard , 2 Common Sandpipers , 3 Water Rails , 10 Snipe , 2 Cetti’s Warblers , 9 Widgeon & 1 Kingfisher.  

A second visit today. Marsh Harrier Juv, 5 Knot, 5 Ruff, a distant Stint were highlights of evening visit to Exminster Marsh.  

A rather late Swift was with a mixed flock of Swallows and House Martins near Yelverton this morning. Over the last three days, at Burrator/Yennadon Down area, there have been a few scattered Redstarts, single Spotted and Pied Flycatchers and a few Wheatears. In addition to the usual large flocks of Goldfinches present at this time of the year, there have been flocks of up to 60 Linnets, mainly juveniles. I don’t normally see this sort of number, so presumably they’ve had a good breeding season.

Burrator Reservoir currently only has a single Common Sandpiper, wader-wise. The Little Ringed Plover stayed for 3 days but wasn’t seen after August 23rd. A group of 11 Goosanders, predominantly juveniles, have been regular. Crossbills have been seen daily, attracted by the current  abundance of cones.

02-09-22:

Sighted 0910 this morning, Osprey (adult), flew from Kingsmill Lake area over the Tavy Bridge towards Warleigh House. Other birds: Great Crested Grebes (6), Mute Swans m&f + cygnets (7), Cormorants, Little Egrets, Grey Herons, on the walk to and return to the reserve: Willow Warblers, Blue & Great Tits, Wren, Blackbirds, Song Thrush. 

A series of NE winds has not brought the hoped for migrants with today’s meagre tally including 2 Yellow Wagtails, first Jay of the autumn, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the willows, Green Woodpecker in Starehole, Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Wheatears, 40 Swallows, 30 House Martins, 2 Willow Warblers, 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Whitethroats and a solitary Blackcap.

After seeing 4 Godwits on the scrape, I headed down the east bank of the Caen, hoping again for an Osprey. Very little else at high tide. Today’s disturbance was provided by the RNLI when two 2-man rib inflatables headed up the Caen from the main estuary, tooled into Horsey through the breach, made a brief foray towards Braunton then headed out to the main river again… The flock of small waders was roosting just inside the breach on the South side – 40 or so Dunlin, 4/5 Ringed Plover, a probable Knot and a possible Curlew Sandpiper. Little Owl showed again. Kestrel on the Osprey platform briefly! 4 noisy Ravens went over heading east then turned SW. Common Sandpiper in Velator Harbour. Of course the others saw the Osprey not long after I left…

Finally got to see the Osprey at lunchtime today.  A small flock of Ringed Plover & c150 Dunlin flew low over Horsey from the White House direction & landed to forage in the mud on the Caen Estuary on the far side of the Aircraft Approach Path.

A male Peregrine which was not the same bird as seen yesterday was on Horsey + a hunting Barn Owl.

Osprey circled over Exminster Marsh at 1300, during lunchtime visit. Also 33+ Cattle Egret, 5 Ruff, 50+ Teal, Green Sandpiper & Med Gull (2w)

Great white egret on the river Taw next to the old shapland and petters building seen from the old bridge 8.40am

A morning’s visit produced: 2 Yellow & 2+ Grey Wagtails, Whinchat, 4 Stonechats, Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, 2 juv Bullfinches, Swift, 2 Kingfishers, Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Greenshanks, Common Sandpiper & 4 Roe Deer.