Happy New Year to all

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On arrival an unexpected Kestrel low over the Torquay harbour car park and out over Living Coasts.

Eight Shag on the harbour side and nearby rocks with a GBB Gull.

Twelve Purple Sandpiper, Twelve plus Turnstone, one Rock Pipit, two Pied Wagtails.

Two Gannet out over the sea.

We think it is a Juvenile Arctic Skua, could you please ID for us

Shoalstone Sea Water Pool

Eds: An Actic skua this late in the year would be extremely unusual, several historical published records almost certainly were mis-identifications. This bird is a Pomarine Skua and a much more likely candidate for any smaller skua at this time of year. It's either a juv or a fw without seeing the underwing it's difficult to age (more likely a juv). Arctic are generally more rusty in colour (this bird is colder toned) but also slimmer winged, longer tail ended. You can see the beginnings of the distinctly blob ended extended central tail feathers diagnostic of a Pomarine Skua.  

8 Goldcrest spotted yesterday pm on the Tarka trail in Barnstaple.

Goldcrest

Highlight this morning a first winter Glaucous Gull with Great Black-backs in the field behind the fishing hut. Surprisingly getting a lot of grief of a young Black-back and soon headed out into the bay. Elsewhere Black-necked Grebe, Wigeon, just 2 Gadwalls, 8 Pochards, 6 Goldeneyes and a Firecrest.  No sign of Scaup or Ring-necked Duck. Offshore big southerly passage of auks early on, c60 per minute and a noticeable passage of Kittiwakes. Also south Red-throated Diver ( another off Memorial Car Park ) and 7 Common Scoter.

A flock of 13 Red - breasted Mergansers, just upstream of Shaldon Bridge this morning, with some of the males exhibiting their Courtship Display.

Red-breasted Mergansers

2 Male Red-Breasted Mergansers displaying to a female.

9 Avocets Upper Teign Estuary this am

Avocets

In much improved conditions today: 2 Great Northern Divers, 4 Jack Snipe, 7 Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshanks, Common Sandpiper, 6 Little Grebes, 4 Goosanders (3 drakes + redhead), 8 Wigeon (4 pairs), 15 Little Egrets, pair of Mandarin Ducks, Kingfisher, 4 Shags, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Green Woodpecker & 5 Roe Deer.

Went to Dennaford Farm S. of Longdown to look for the Hawfinches reported a couple of days ago. No success, but did see a Brambling among the Chaffinches. In the background, 200+ Redwings provided a chattering chorus, with a Mistle Thrush leading the soloists. Two Crossbills passed in the distance.

In the hedges along the lane running down to Ide, met a straggling mixed flock of seed-eaters, maybe 200 in total, mainly Linnet and Chaffinch, leavened with Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Greenfinch and Goldfinch, with 20+ Skylark in the fields on either side and a dozen or so Fieldfares chuckling in an Oak. A happy sight and sound.

At BGM this morning, a Bittern popped up from the reeds, flew about 30 yards, and disappeared again. We only get two seconds! On the water a Scaup was feeding actively, in company with 3/4 Tufteds and a Pochard, with at least 75 Pintail scattered around. Twelve Anseriformes, but still no Gadwall. Have not seen one here or at Matford yet this Autumn/Winter, although there are plenty at Weymouth. Twelve Common Gulls on Goosemoor were the biggest group I've seen recently.

Not many waders present, presumably because of the high water level. They seem to prefer Exminster at the moment: yesterday morning, most unusually, 150 Avocets, 40+ Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover were with the regulars (including the beautiful 750+Golden Plover flock) in the fields S. of Swans Nest Road, all being periodically disturbed by a Marsh Harrier.

Firecrest still present in large holly between the bottom of Millin Way and Shutterton Brook

The Goldeneye was one of the species which was correctly named which is more than I can say for the Black headed Gull ! (medium chocolate brown to dark chocolate brown in breeding plumage)

Unfortunately, no  sign of the Scaup during the last 3 visits to the pond.

47 Great Northern Divers in the south side of Torbay this morning: 27 around Brixham & 20 Broadsands also 1 Pomarine Skua and 1 Great Skua from Shoalstpne. 1 Black-necked Grebe & 1 Firecrest  at Broadsands. another Firecrest above Breakwater beach.

        4 Great N Divers (1 ad 3 fw)  Broadsands              8 Great N Divers off Breakwater, Brixham

Before the rain: 6 Goosanders (5 drakes + a redhead), 7 Wigeon (4 drakes), 2 Snipe, 153 Redshanks, 209 Dunlins, 6 Greenshanks, Sparrowhawk & 10 Little Egrets.

There is at least 1 Firecrest  in a large Holly between the bottom of Millin Way and Shutterton Brook. It’s in company with goldcrests and Chiffchaff. Currently showing from my window in the holly adjacent to my garden.

Predictably quiet, even the Stonechats were keeping their heads down, but one thing worth noting. The skeletal, beautifully lichened, much perched-upon Nightjar tree is no more - brought down by high winds/old age. 

Ringing today produced 52 new birds. Majoring in Greenfinch - 24, Chaffinch 7 (all females) 2 Goldfinch and a single male Bullfinch. A Song Thrush and 4 Chiffchaffs were the pick. Probably 5 Water Rails around the reserve.

News from the BTO of a Chiffchaff ringed here on November 8th which was controlled by another ringer in Hampshire just a few days ago. I often wonder where they go.

Merlin, 5 Brambling with 90+ Chaffinch, 2 Green Woodpecker, 3 Nuthatch, Treecreeper, 200+ Woodpigeon feeding and usual woodland sps.

  
Green Woodpecker                                               Treecreeper

a couple more pics

    
Knot                                                          Purple Sandpiper

Breakwater 10 am this morning:

43+ Purple sandpiper

5 Knot

650+ Dunlin

15 turnstone

plus 1 Harbour Porpoise (in western tide race)

1 Common Dolphin (yesterday, off Drake's island)

2 Great Northern Diver (off Drake's Island)

Common Dolphin

Water Rail,gs Woodpecker,Bull Finch female, Greenfinch,4Goldfinch,6lt tit,2 Mistle Thrush, tree creeper, nuthatch,large flock pigeons,10 Redwing and Marsh Tits. Really good numbers of usual woodland birds all looking well and fit for winter.

    
GS Woodpecker                   Water Rail                                                   long tailed tit

Lower Tamar Lake this morning.

15 Goosander 8m 7f, 4 Ring-necked Duck 3m 1f, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant, Tufted Duck, 3 Willow Tit

Female Hen Harrier quartering over moor in the sunshine (at 1300hrs) - super views

Another run around the beaches in Torbay this morning produced 22 Great Northern, 5 Red-throated, and 1 Black-throated Diver (off Broadsands), also 18 Common Scoter, 1 Black-necked Grebe (Preston), 4 Great Crested Grebes, approx 20 Guillemot & 2 Razorbills.

At Broadsands: 1 Roosting Tawny Owl, 2 Firecrest, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Chiffchaff, 11 Cirl Bunting and 1 male Yellowhammer.

At Preston: 36 Turnstones and 28 Oystercatchers

               Firecrest in reedy ditch Broadsands                                       1w Great Northern Diver

I am back from Hungary for Christmas and decided to check the traditional roost site at Longdown. It appears to be not in use this winter. However a drive along the ridge from Longdown to the Haldon Belvedere located 3 Hawfinches at Darneford. 1 bird at South Wood and a further 3 at the Butterfly Walk on Haldon. All birds were feeding on Beech seed. Undoubtedly other birds will be in this area as there are many Beech trees with a good seed crop. 

Male Goldeneye today at Wrafton Pond with the female

Goldeneye male

21 (5 m) roosting Goosanders at the Avon Dam this morning was typical of recent counts there, but on 14 Dec there were only two. This was the day of a synchronised roost count across Devon, when only 31 were located on Dartmoor and 34 elsewhere (23 at Tamar Lakes, 11 at Clovelly Fishing Lakes and none at Portworthy, Dartington, Stover or Roadford). Wild weather and perhaps the full moon may have affected the counts. Unfortunately there was no count at MEETH, the main Devon roost site in recent years. If anyone has any recent counts for this site and/or is willing to help with future counts there, please get in touch (preay6960@gmail.com).

Not much activity at Berry Head this afternoon except for the colony of Guillemots that can be best viewed from the hide adjacent to the Guardhouse Café. As well as watching it's good to listen to them as from a distance it sounds like they are laughing.The Guillemot count today, as taken by Torbay Coast and Country Trust, was 953.

The picture was taken by Andrew Barnes.

At least 4, possibly a few more Great Northern Divers between the pier and the Ness this afternoon, Torbay a whole lot more!!

At least 2 Brambling with 90+ Chaffinch. Showing well until flock flushed by Sparrowhawk. 

Finally got out in some decent weather but not much going on: Woodpigeon 430W - a late movement, 16 Stock Dove, 240 Carrion Crow, 100 each of Rook & Jackdaw, 25 Robin, 26 Dunnock, 18 Song Thrush, 34 Blackbird, 2 Bullfinch, male Sparrowhawk, 28 Yellowhammer & 25 Cirl Bunting.

On this morning's high tide, in much improved weather: 6 Goosanders (4 drakes & 2 redheads), 7 Little Grebes, 8 Wigeon, 4 Mandarin Ducks (2 pairs), 17 Snipe, 5 Greenshanks, 55 Curlews, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Nuthatches & Roe Deer.

A fantastic 45 Great Northern (42 from Broadsands) & 5 Red-throated Divers in Torbay this morning on lovely calm seas.

Also in Torbay: 2 Black-necked Grebes (Preston), 5 Great Crested Grebes, 18 Common Scoter and 20+ Common Dolphins that made their way toward Brixham

Five redwings feeding in holly tree in Great Torrington on 16th December.

Marsh Harrier F. 1500 15.12 19. In large field East of Foxhole.

Firecrest in back garden at Pomphlett, Plymstock. First sighting in over 30 years