Land off Stoney Lane, Landkey.
A brief visit to my field this morning and autumn is definitely on its way with the trees beginning to turn. Lots of birdsong, mostly robins and various tits and a view of a green woodpecker flying down the field. Often heard but rarely seen.
Blaxton Meadows
3 Great White Egret on blaxton meadow this morning feeding with little Egret
Dart estuary
Osprey hunting over the estuary off Galmpton Creek this evening.
Exminster Marsh
A ‘low’ high tide visit, on a hot afternoon, wasn’t that productive, which wasn’t that surprising. 9 Cattle Egret flew north at Turf. On lagoon was a Shoveler, a Little Grebe & 15+ Coot. On the flooded area were 10 Teal, 7 Blackwit, 2 Ruff & a Snipe. Otherwise a Wheatear in the discovery area, was about it.
Wembury
To add to Sophies report – Hot and sultry at Wembury this morning and despite a 7:30am start still lots of disturbance along the beach. However a Common Sandpiper, a Redshank, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, a Curlew, 21 Turnstone, 3 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 8 Ringed Plover and Oystercatchers all seen but all flighty and mobile so counts probably higher (and I should have paid more attention to the Plovers!).
34 Mediterranean Gulls on the rocks, all unringed and mostly winter adults with a few 2nd winters and 2 juveniles but flushed by paddle boarders.
A Sand Martin east amongst a small group of Swallows, 2 Wheatears west and 2 Yellow Wagtails in with the cattle before flying off west. Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Whitethroats in the bushes.
A Reed Warbler at The Point, gave itself away by quietly singing but with a bit of phishing it revealed itself briefly.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
Six Sandwich Terns, the first this year here, on the rising tide this morning. Also, 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Whinchats, Stonechat, Bullfinch, Siskin, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, juv Peregrine, 2 Teal, 1+ Kingfisher, 23 Cormorants, 15+ Oystercatchers, 1+ Common Sandpiper & 8+ Greenshanks.
Crownhill Down
Final totals from 0700-0900 – 3 Little Stint, 2 Sanderling, 7 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, Tree Pipit, Wheatear, 60+ House Martin, 90+ Swallow, 40+ Meadow Pipit, 3 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler.
Velator reserve
12 Cattle Egret in with the cows right by the gate of the reserve this morning.
Wembury
Wembury highlights this morning: 1 little ringed plover, 5 bar-tailed godwit, 4 sanderling, 4 dunlin, 2 ringed plovers, little egret, oystercatcher, common sandpiper, green woodpecker, cirl bunting and a raven
Bowling Green Marsh, 7th&8th
Quick visits on the high tides Thurs and Fri gave a good spread of species – numbers of wildfowl are picking up and include wigeon, teal, shoveler, pintail, gadwall and pochard. Amongst the blackwits, redshank, curlew and dunlin have been a small number of knot and ruff plus at least one bar tailed godwit. Also large numbers of little egret.
Crownhill Down
In the big pit at the top of the down now – 3 Little Stint, 2 Sanderling, Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover. View from What3Words: ///grab.passively.witless
+1 Photo
Black Hole Marsh NR
Budleigh Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Bunting still present early evening in stubble field adjacent to Budleigh Golf Course. Best viewed from public footpath at SY048817 and scan hedgerow to west.
Please be patient as bird spends long periods feeding in stubble and then perches in hedgerow for a few minutes at a time and gives good scope views. See digiscoped image above.
Riverside Country Park
A visit to fishing ponds near Double Locks. Reed Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff. 65+ House Martin on wires above Marsh Barton Station, along with 15 Swallow. Otherwise 2 Raven, Green Woodpecker & Jay. A second Jay on Alphington Brook suggesting post breeding dispersal started.
Saltram (Blaxton Meadow} 8.9.2023
Great Egret
At least two possibly three with Little Egrets by the sluice gate at 1430.
+1 Photo
Lyme Bay Cruise
On a guided Lyme Bay cruise from Brixham today highlights were: 12+ Great Shearwaters, 30+ Balearic Shearwaters, 100+ Manx Shearwaters, Pomarine Skua, Common Terns, 60+ Common Dolphin, 15+ Harbour Porpoise and 8 White-beaked Dolphins. Great Shearwater photo from Jim Hammersley
Plym Estuary
The 3 Great White Egrets were still present at Saltram this morning on the rising tide: 2 were beside the estuary on the other side of the embankment to Blaxton Meadow (visible from near the amphitheatre); the other was on the meadow itself by the sluice gates.
Velator reserve
At least 7 Cattle Egrets with the cows between the scrape, reserve and Tarka Trail this afternoon. NB: note to self; take binoculars…. doh
Green Sandpiper at Black Hole Marsh
One Green Sandpiper a Ruff , two Curlew Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper at BHM at 1300 hrs today
East Soar
Virtually no overhead migration but did get 7 Tree Pipit, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker moving up west through Starehole, 2 Jay likewise (bit early for autumn movement), Whinchat, 6 Whitethroat, 24 Robin, 11 Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Siskin & 30 Yellowhammer.
