Bird Sightings

Late morning visit and tide still high. One common sandpiper near the jetty and one knot on the pontoon. Three great white egrets flew north past the Turf and landed on the mud to the NE. A juvenile peregrine attacked a black-tailed godwit but the godwit escaped although a great black-backed gull tried unsuccessfully to catch it.  A few chiffchaffs calling in the trees alongside the canal.

Group of 12 Golden Plover (s?) on top meadow at Hartridge above Honiton yesterday.

Osprey flew north-east at 08:20 this morning.

On Instow beach this morning  just past the Cricket pitch there was another dead gannet washed up on the tideline. Another Avian Flu casualty. On the concrete sea wall there were 2 Rock Pipits.
Lots of Oystercatchers and Curlew along the stretch from there to the Oil Jetty with smaller numbers of Redshank , 4 Ringed Plover, 2 Bar tailed Godwits and 7 Knot. Further along on the River in front of Isley Marsh one Spoonbill was standing on a small mudbank. Probably the one spotted later in the day on the north bank of the Taw.

A single spoonbill seen coming in to land on the scrape this evening – approx 17:45.

Further to yesterdays post, whilst on the return leg of a walk from Gammon Head to the beach below Gara Rock, two chough seen flying round the headland in towards the Gara Rock hotel. No sign of the third. 

Greylag Goose on the upper estuary this morning (thanks Stuart); probably the first here since 1993! Also, 3 Firecrests together, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2+ Little Grebes, Teal, Kingfisher & Common Sandpiper.

The National Trust will be replacing the fence separating the South Milton Sands car park from South Huish Reserve. Preparatory work will start on Sunday 9 October and putting the new fence is due to start later in the week.

The scrapes are flooded as the outfall has still not been fixed and there are fewer birds on the wetlands than usual.  I am assured by the National Trust that once the contractor has completed some paperwork, the work will start.

Walked from Velator Quay at low tide down to cross flats just the usual black headed gulls and and a couple of little egrets down to cross flats where I stayed for 2 hours with a spotting scope saw ,female kestrel, 2 buzzards, little grebe, curlew, then on the way back up, saw 2 redshank, also herd a couple of skylarks , nice to meet Jill and her husband from Surrey , and the seal counting dude, all Devon bird guide followers and contributors 

Hoped to spot the three chough at Gammon Head today – just jackdaws. Has anyone seen them along the East Prawle coastline in the last few days- since the Bolt Head posting by Rob Macklin on the 6th?

Walked from Velator Quay at low tide down to cross flats just the usual black headed gulls and and a couple of little egrets down to cross flats where I stayed for 2 hours with a spotting scope saw ,female kestrel, 2 buzzards, little grebe, curlew, then on the way back up, saw 2 redshank, also herd a couple of skylarks , nice to meet Jill and her husband from Surrey , and the seal counting dude, all Devon bird guide followers and contributors 

A nice early morning walk around patch between trews weir and Exeter st David’s a Great White Egret flew up river near mill on the exe just after 07:30 only my 4th record on patch supporting cast were 8 little grebes ( 6 on the flood relief channel at the st David’s end and 2 more on the river) also 4 Kingfishers, 2 Dippers, 6+ grey wagtail , 2 Jay , 6+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Little Egrets 

Was walking up the cycle track from Powderham towards Turf at lunchtime when I heard a squealing coming from behind the brambles alongside. A couple of steps further revealed a Heron taking off with a Weasel dangling from its bill. It flew over the railway and disappeared, with the Weasel still alive. Two minutes later, the Heron re-appeared and dropped into the same ditch, so do not know the outcome, but hard to imagine the Weasel lived, even if not swallowed. Presumably good strategy for a predator to re-visit the site of previous success.

Only other things of note were my first three returning Common Gulls, and a Swallow heading S.

Back in Exeter, a Little Grebe has spent the week in the pan of the Trews Weir flood channel, a once-a-decade occurrence, as with the recent Blackwit.

On a (low tide) visit this morning: at least 1 Firecrest, Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Sparrowhawk, 4 Little Grebes, Common Sandpiper & 8 Roe Deer. 

17 + Cattle Egrets in the sheep fields towards Bickington in two groups of ten together and 7 + scattered among sheep.  Viewed from the Tarka Trail at Penhill.      2 Glossy Ibis in the stream feeding at Fremington Pill.