Wrafton Pond
16:30 to 17:15
Amongst the Sand Martins we counted 4 Swallows & 1 House Martin
flying low over the pond so the white rump was clearly visible.
Garganey on the larger of the scrapes.
Male wheatear Northam Burrows / Skern
Male wheatear singing by the beach at the Skern this morning.
Lynton
6 Male Wheatear, 1 female.2 Chiffchaff singing near Church.Increase in Meadow Pipits, no Stonechats but an increasingly nasty wind up through the valley.
Lower Tamar Lake
Lower Tamar Lake this morning.
3 Goosander 1m 2f, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2m Tufted Duck, 5 Sand Martin.
Note:
All the feeders except the ones at the hide will be brought in at the end of this month and put back out at the end of June.
Plym Estuary & Saltram
On this morning’s very big tide: 11 Snipe, 8 Greenshanks, Common Sandpiper, Wigeon, Red-crested Pochard (female), 3 Goosanders (1 drake), Kingfisher & Great Black-backed Gull (3rd cy) P:15F, ringed as a Pulli June 2021 at Portland Harbour, seen Newlyn 23/12/21 & last seen at Blaxton Meadow 15/1/23.
River Otter – Sand Martins
Walking south from Ottery St Mary’s this morning, I had 2 Sand Martins. Also 3 Goosander, 2 Grey Wagtail, Dipper and Kingfisher.
+1 Photo
Bowling Green Marsh
Yesterday: Tufted Ducks, Shoveler, Teal, Pochard, Shelduck, Pintail, Wigeon, Little Grebe, Shelduck, Snipe, Blackwits, Stock Dove, Willow warbler, Sand Martins
+1 Photo
LORP Budleigh
Yesterday: Good views of 4 Water Pipits in summer plumage, Chiffchaffs, Cettis Warblers, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Greenshank, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese.
Wrafton
Evening look around: Garganey still on the small scrape. Drake Pochard on Wrafton Pond and still several Chiffchaffs. Walked around Sherpa Marsh and was surrounded by Sand Martins, many flying very low over the ponds. A smart male Wheatear on the embankment opposite the Toll House, and at last a fine Swallow, if briefly.
Dippers ashburton
pair of dippers on river ashburn by main car park 1st I’ve seen there this spring.
+1 Photo
Dawlish Countryside Park – Alpine Swifts
Amazingly, despite the windy grey skies and squally heavy showers that had me in and out of the car several times, this morning, 2 Alpine Swifts duly appeared over the woods on Eastdon Ridge and were soon speeding around together, twisting and turning before moving out across Dawlish Countryside Park. Fantastic – now I need to go and dry the camera off!
Exminster Marshes
Visit to the marshes this morning was in time to see the high tide roosts. Birds were well distributed across the marshes with the larger flocks in the centre. Here there were curlew, black-tailed godwit (c250), shelduck (c100) and about a dozen cormorant. Nearer the canal , on the various pools, was one flock of c65 bar-tailed godwits, c30 curlew, 2 lapwing and a single avocet.
Duck numbers quite low and only 3 brent geese seen.
In Station Road and on the canal bank there were at least 4 chiffchaffs singing and another flock of 4 together. clearly migrants and the only migrants seen before the rain set in.
+1 Photo
Wrafton scrape & Pond
Male Garganey still present late aft on the smaller scrape.
Sand Martins flying low over the pond & several Chiffchaff foraging in the reed bed & surrounding vegetation. Male Pochard still present & 2 Cettis calling from opposite sides of the pond
Ilfracombe
A single Purple Sandpiper below Windy Corner; Rock Pipits seemingly staking out territories; pair of Fulmar settled overlooking Tunnel Beaches
WHEATEAR STADDON HEIGHTS
5 WHEATEAR AT STADDON HEIGHTS
Swallow in Okehampton
Lone Swallow flying North over Okehampton at 1510.
Valley of Rocks . Lynton.
3 Wheatear, 1Chiffchaff, 2 pairs Stonechats, about 10 Meadow Pipits, and 1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.
Wrafton Scrape and Sherpa Marsh
From mid-afternoon
Wrafton Scrape
Drake Garganey feeding on nearside of large scrape with plenty of Teal. A few Sand Martins feeding overhead.
Wrafton Pond
Three Gadwall on pond with ~30-40 Sand Martins overhead, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest in trees to left of viewing platform and calling Cetti’s Warbler
Sherpa Marsh
Few species on grazing marsh bar abundance of Sand Martins, one Cetti’s Warbler along the toll road ditch.
Horsey Island
Few Shelduck and Oystercatcher pairs out on the mudflats, large flock of Redshanks at the edge of the sea wall breach.
Little Ringed Plover. Northam Burrows/Skern
Litte Ringed Plover feeding late afternoon by the pool to the left of the Skern toll road.
Willand – wet meadow by River Culm, LHS of the road when heading towards Bradfield
53 Little Egrets including 3 Cattle Egrets ranging over the grassed field at 3pm 21 March
