Bird Sightings

Station Road still flooded to a depth greater than my tall wellies. To the south of Station Road were c20 cattle egrets, 8 little egrets and 4 grey herons, also 10 redshank and a shelduck with numerous Canada geese and black-headed gulls. To the north of the road c30 curlew, 3 cattle egrets and a few redshank.

Along the railway track (also flooded) were 2 Cettis, a flock of long-tailed tits, a single meadow pipit, one skylark, 3 stonechat and 3 chiffchaff. A green woodpecker called from the trees near the RSPB car park.

2 Great Northern Divers down in the bay

Great Northern Diver, 3 Purple Sandpipers, 1 Guillemot

Short-eared Owl on the coastguards cliff, 320+ Woodpigeons migrating west, 3 Stonechats, Chiffchaffs,

A Winter-plumaged adult Little Stint was feeding in the flooded field next to the Fisherman’s carpark approx. 1000 this morning.

A visit to the Skern with Andy Leat this morning at high tide to look for the reported lesser scaup. It proved to be very elusive, repeatedly disappearing for 10-20 minutes at a time then suddenly popping into view for a short while amongst the wigeon before disappearing again in the grassy channels. I wondered if this species naturally avoids open water or maybe it just didn’t like the strong winds. I also saw a merlin chasing a pied wagtail.

In amongst a veritable flurry of birds in the reserve this morning were a male Sparrowhawk, and at least 3 Siskins feeding with the horde of Goldfinch.

Upper Lake this morning on the feeders.

5 Willow Tit, 2 Marsh Tit, 7 Coal Tit, 9 Blue Tit, 6 Great Tit.

Lower Lake this morning.

2 Goosanders 1m 1f (06:30), 2 Willow Tit, 9 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Cormorant, 1 Marsh Tit, 3 Coal Tit, 10 Coot, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Jays.

2 x Marsh Harriers adult Female and Juv. Male Quartering both sides of Caen Estuary 200+ Golden Plover 2 x Kingfisher 5 x Little Grebe 12:00 to 13:00 Sunday 5th November

• Long Tailed-Duck on river plym by Blaxton Meadows Saltram this morning

5+ Cattle egret in flocks of Little egret on the Teign flood plain between Locksbridge Cafe and the Old Exeter Road.

Distant Stint-sized wader with 8 Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper in huge pit at top of down. Flock kept being spooked by Peregrine. Also 2 Snipe, 2 Golden Plover, 43 Fieldfare, 15 Redwing, Reed Bunting and Green Woodpecker on the down/bridleway

Short-eared Owl and Great White Egret today at Slapton. Jane Cumming and the BOC from Bristol

Access to the marshes from Exminster requires waders. Station Road still flooded and to a depth of about 2 inches more than my wellies. Brief views of the fields revealed several flocks of redshank, a greenshank and c30 lapwing. A very pale (almost white) buzzard was eating earth worms forced to the surface as were many little egrets.

At Turf a single whimbrel feeding on the lawn, 9 oystercatchers and a kingfisher. About 100m south of Turf on the seawall a late wheatear. In the fields around Turf a couple of cattle egrets and a few little egrets with lots of black-headed gulls.

Grey Phalarope, very close  in

Very little moving this morning but several Leach’s Petrel made up for the lack of much other interest (all moving west unless specified):

• Leach’s Petrel – 3
• Balearic Shearwater – 2
• Guillemot – 2
• Kittiwake – 20+
• Gannet
• Greater Black-backed Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Shag
• Oystercatcher – 7 (east)

One, female/ 1st winter on roofs of houses on Oakland drive, at 11am

Also at least one Firecrest with tit flock in gardens adjacent to Oakland park

A very wet marsh, meant waders were in the middle so less easy to view. 205 Redshank, 5 Greenshank, 18 Curlew, 13 Barwit, 17 Lapwing, 38 Dunlin, 21 Snipe & lots of Blackwit but no count.

230+ Wigeon, 50+ Pintail, 50+ Teal, 26+ Shoveler, Little Grebe & a Greylag.

Kingfisher, 20 Goldfinch & 3 Linnet otherwise.

Darts Farm was partially flooded. Hence 20 Mallards, 15 Teal, 11 Pintail, 3 Wigeon. Also 18 Curlew, 2 Redshank, Kingfisher, 8 Common Gull, 5 Little Egret on the fields.