+1 Photo
Sunday – Lyme Bay – Skuas and Shearwaters bonanza
8 Hour trip out on Sunday with Dave Saunders on Kelly Heros into Lyme Bay gave an impressive number of seabirds. Lots of bird movement made it difficult to accurately state the exact numbers but these are the minimum: 2 Arctic Skuas harassing the Kittiwakes, 2 Pomarine Skuas harassing the gulls, Great Skua, Storm Petrel, 500+ Guillemot in several rafts, 200 Manx Shearwaters, 15 Great Shearwaters, 10 Sooty Shearwaters, 30 Balearic Shearwaters, Cory Shearwater, 2 Razorbills, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls mostly 2nd cy with the occasional juvenile. 30 Gannets with all ages demonstrated. 2 Common Terns. Usual gulls. Common Dolphin and Harbour porpoise.
More images to be uploaded on the Devon Birds website page tomorrow.
Crownhill Down
Mixed wader flock still in the big pit on Crownhill Down this eve. 2 Little Stint, 2 Sanderling, 8 Ringed Plover and 3 Dunlin. Flighty but often on near shore. Wheatear on slope.
Fremington Pill and Quay
A walk along Fremington Pill down to the Quay produced 3 Greenshank, 70+ Redshank, 3 Glossy Ibis, 10 Teal, 4 little Egret, 1 Ruff. Then over towards Chivenor 4 Great White Egret on the far bank.
Riverside Country Park
An evening visit to the fishing pools by the Double Locks. Chiffchaff 6+, House Martin 50+ & Swallow 15+.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
Two Firecrests this afternoon, together with Treecreeper, 2 Whinchats, Stonechat, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Grey Wagtail, 4 Sandwich Terns, 13 Greenshanks, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Dunlins, Common Sandpiper & a Clouded Yellow.
Caen Estuary
2 Curlew Sandpipers, 54 Dunlin & 4 Ringed Plover this morning.
Dart Estuary
Two Ospreys on the Dart today during a guided cruise including one performing over the estuary for 30 mins eventually taking a fish (on it’s second dive) as we watched.
Powderham & Exminster Marshes
A morning spent on Powderham Marsh provided 8 Cattle Egret, 4+ Yellow Wagtail, and a small number of Chiffchaff. 6 Teal, 5 Stonechat, 40+ Swallow, 15 Blackwit & 2 Egyptian Goose were the only other birds of note.
A short visit to VP on Exminster Marsh, with 2 Ruff, 2 Hobby (Ad & 1cy) feeding over the lagoon, 30 Coot on the lagoon, with a single Little Grebe. At least 340 Curlew sat together on the estuary.
Velator reserve
Only 3 Cattle Egrets with the cows this morning, but they have moved around South of the reserve and a deal further away, so probably more…
Turf Inn, Exe Estuary
Two Curlew Sandpipers seen from Kayak on rising tide at 1pm
Soar
An Ortolan Bunting at Middle Soar around 12.30pm the outstanding highlight of a morning that also brough a smattering of common migrants including 6 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats, 20 Yellow Wagtails, 7 Tree Pipits, 20 Siskins, 7 Whitethroats, 2 Blackcaps several Chiffchaffs and good numbers of Swallows. Also 2 Peregrines, a Sparrowhawk & a nice range of butterflies.
+1 Photo
Plym Estuary & Saltram
Additional to Peter’s earlier report here are a couple of shorts of the Wryneck snapped after nearly an hour’s stake out in baking sunshine, but well worth the wait.
Velator/Wrafton
Late visit this afternoon: 10 or 11 Cattle Egret, They kept hiding in the long grass and behind cows so difficult to get an accurate count, especially as one of them morphed into a Little Egret by the scrape later. A singing Chiffchaff in the reserve.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
The patch’s first ever Wryneck today, showing intermittently in trees beside the lower end of Dell Walk. Also, 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Swifts, 3+ Whinchats, Siskin, Green Woodpecker, Sandwich Tern, 16 Turnstones & Great Crested Grebe.
+1 Photo
Ashford Strand
Raindrops keep falling on my head!
1 Juvenile Great Crested Grebe
Photos taken sheltering under a tree (Risky during thunder & lighting showers but survived to live another day!)
Radford Park
A Spotted Flycatcher was in Radford Park this morning. Also seen there were 2 Little Grebes, a Sparrowhawk, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Kingfisher, a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff.
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.
