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1 2nd Summer Med Gull with several Black headed Gulls or should that be Brown headed Gulls!?

5pm at Tarka Trail overlooking Sherpa Marsh. 2 egrets. One of which was clearly Great White Egret.

Unable to see second bird clearly for positive id. 

After being rained off on the Devon birds Nightjar outing recently Alan Craddock and I decided to visit the Hartland site on a nice calm evening.

We were rewarded almost immediately with several birds churning and flight calls. Shortly after 10pm the first birds flew over us and several other birds seen and heard during the next hour or so.
Always a treat to see these mysterious birds. 

A lonesome Razorbill off the Capstone rocks 

Fly over at 11am from Ferndale Rd

5 Swifts over Burrough Road / Griggs Close late afternoon, early evening.

On Tarka Trail behind Heaton Court pub, large numbers of gulls. 150+ black head gulls, and 20 or more Med gulls, juvenile and adults in amongst them.

Also, Great Black Back, Shelducks with young, Cormorant, Several Curlew.

Chiffchaffs, Tree pipits, 20+ Mistle thrushes, several Wheatears with juveniles, Stonechats, Swifts, Swallows, Linnets, Ravens, 6 Buzzards.

Linnet f.

Wheatear juv.

Two Greenshanks amongst the slow build of other waders; also at least 1 Common Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull (2nd cal year), Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtails & 7 Mandarin Ducks. 

In addition to the first Goosander since 14 May, a roosting redhead which departed at 0530, there was a Black Redstart on the dam wall. This follows previous summer records at the Avon Dam on 16/08/2016 and 21/07/2017.

From about 0630 to 0730 the dam was busy with other small birds enjoying a fly bonanza - see photo of spider's web - which has occurred in July in previous years. This morning the species comprised GS (the most surprising), WW, SL, HM, SC, W, MP, PW, GL, CH and LI.

Black Redstart on spillway

Spider's web with flies

5pm at Tarka Trail overlooking Sherpa Marsh. 2 egrets. One of which was clearly Great White Egret.

Unable to see second bird clearly for positive id. 

Best today Hobby and 37 Swift heading south - welcome to autumn! Looks like a spectacular breeding season at Soar with most species in excellent numbers.

4 Black-tailed Godwits foraging on the Caen Estuary & later on Horsey.

The Canada geese goslings are growing up fast on Horsey.

3 Swifts over Braunton Marshes.

I’ve just heard that the old power station site at Yelland has been given the go ahead despite protestations.  The development is right on the Taw estuary and will probably include work or disturbance on the old flooded basement of the Original power station where this year I had the best ever count of 9 Nesting Grey Herons Plus Nesting Canada geese , Oystercatcher , Stock Doves  , Sand Martins And Swallows........

5 Common Dolphin, 34 Manx Shearwater, Cory Shearwater, 4 Med Gulls (1adult, 3 2nd cy), usual gulls, 20+ Gannets, Guillemots and 3 Razorbills. 

This morning:  21 female Mandarin, 41 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 32 Curlew, 12 Shelduck with 1 juvenile, 2 Kingfisher, 3 Ring necked Parakeets, and a spotty juvenile Green Woodpecker making a lot of noise!

Yesterday evening over Crownhill Down: Wheatears, Stonechats, Linnets, Chiffchaffs

Wheatear. juv.

Linnet

On Larkstone beach this morning a juv 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull was among the resident gulls.

1 Mediterranean Gull & good numbers of BH Gulls at Pottington.

14 Redshank (12 in one flock) & 1 Black tailed Godwit.

1 pair of Shelduck with 10 juveniles.

Seawatch 0600-0900hrs: 1570 Manx Shearwaters, 19 Fulmar, 12 Kittiwakes, 40+ Gannets, 9 Mediterranean Gulls, 1 Puffin, 88 Auks, at least 6 Razorbills, 31 Common Dolphins in 3 pods. My first Grey Wagtails (2) on the move of the summer at Berry Head.

             Common Dolphins                                                                              Gannets

My first ever Burrator Barnacle Goose was with 62 Canada Geese late this afternoon. The 62 Canada Geese was a massive increase on the usual low 20s that I see here. I assume that the Saltram Barnacle is having a Dartmoor holiday with some of his Canada chums!…

The report I made yesterday of a drake Ringed-necked Duck is erroneous. With scope views today it’s clearly a Tufted Duck. Rick Lockwood

Back on the patch after my latest travels: Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Kingfishers, Red-crested Pochard (female), 24 Mandarin Ducks, 2 Mediterranean Gulls (ad-s & 2nd cy), Green Woodpecker (juv), pair of Stonechats, Whitetrhroat, 3 Roe Deer, 6+ Marbled Whites, 4 Small & 2 Large Skippers & 6 Ringlets.

Black Guillemot seen about 100m east off Drake’s Island loafing at the first plastic buoy with a smaller green one. 

Cracking night at Cann woods looking at the Nightjars,at 21:30hrs one male showed incredible well flying right over our heads within a couple of feet. It was a gorgeous night  clear sky ,sun just setting and this male Nightjar flying so close in good light we were able to see all the details.  It then landed near us which enabled us to get a fairly good picture. It was a very memorable moment watching its floating swoops and glides as it flew around and right over us.

Male Nightjar

Lower Tamar Lake this morning.

2 Willow Tit, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Bullfinch.

Upper Tamar Lake,

2 Willow Tit, 4 Cormorants, 4 Grey Heron, 2 Great-blacked Gulls.

Drake Ring-necked Duck this pm

In the reserve today: juvenile Grey Heron again, a Song Thrush - more often heard than seen. Kingfisher having a go at the Sticklebacks, A few House martins over the scrape, And flying over Sherpa Marsh off to the South, a Great White Egret, which landed out of sight over by Chivenor.

One bird thermalling over St Paul's Parish Church from 11.52 - 11.56, before drifting off east 

Plenty of skylarks displaying on the coast.

Skylark

Just going through my photos from Sunday's visit to Fremington and I came across this better quality photo of the Rosy Starling.

Rosy Starling

Just got back from another foray. In short, we didn't see it. Loadsa Starlings - juveniles outnumbering adults by about 5 to 1. They started arriving at about 7.35 and almost all landed on the wires although the small Hawthorn tree was almost completely obscured a couple of times.

Tundra Bean Goose finally appeared properly about 10.45  today, but about 45 minutes before two geese flew towards the road. View almost completely obscured by combination of seen and vegetation, but assume it was the Bean plus the Greylag. Went unsuccessfully to look for them,, and returned to screen just as a Red Kite circled low overhead before flying off NE. Those in the screen missed it!  Then, after tantalising glimpses of the Bean's heard, the whole bird did show near the pond towards the right..

Pleased to record my first Spotted Flycatcher for Escot Park, seen over the last 2 days.

Spotted Flycatcher

Whilst sat out enjoying the late morning sunshine, looking towards the Buttercombe direction were c.20 Swift on a food frenzy. 

Here is the YouTube link for some video of the Nightjars displaying and calling at yesterday's East Devon Field Trip.

https://youtu.be/QWJ31t72aP0

Went out to the Saltpill pond area yesterday evening, and saw several thousand Starlings coming in to a roost. Most of the arrivals landed in the bare Hawthorn tree before dropping into the reed-bed. Good numbers also on the adjacent wires. All viewable from the Tarka Trail. Sadly, despite staying until at least 9.30p.m. we didn't see the Rosy Starling. Would be worth another visit timed to see the first arrivals.

Velator reserve still has Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Reed Warblers singing this morning and male Reed Bunting plus a juvenile Grey Heron seen inside.