Happy New Year to all

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Today while down at Slapton Ley a Black Swan was spotted on the far side of the lake.  Also saw a few Tufted Ducks, great crested grebes and lots of Canada geese.

Black Swan

Tufted Ducks

A return walk from Coypool to Cann Quarry, this morning, produced: juv Dipper, 5+ Marsh Tits, Spotted Flycatcher, 4+ Siskins & 2 male Grey Wagtails.

A short and not very birdy ringing session this morning was livened up by catching a Reed Warbler with ring number D748808. This was ringed as a juvenile on 11 July 2014, so she's been to Africa and back 7 times now! Great going!

Wood Sandpiper on edge of Southdown Farm on shallow pool, only 2nd record for Soar after one in pig fields in October 1993. Also Green Sandpiper there.

Non-avian: 3 male Red-veined Darters; 21 Black-tailed Skimmers; 9 Emperor Dragonflies; 5 Broad-bodied Chasers; 80 Common Blue Damselflies.

Today while crossing Dartmoor I stopped off at a location near Hexworthy and got this image of a Skylark.

Skylark

Highlights today were the Great Egret on the storage lagoon and a Marsh Harrier quartering the fields S of Swan's Nest Road. Also present were a Med. Gull with the common Gull/Crow flock along Lime Kiln Lane, four Egyptian Geese (a pair with two young) and 40 Shelduck (at least as many having already left, for the Waddensee I presume) in Powderham Park, a Kestrel, a pair of Stonechats, and a few each of Swift and the three Hirundines. Lots of Warbler song, with energetic song-flights from Sedge and Whitethroat.

Early morning walk produced several juvenile and adult Wheatears, Stonechats 9, Skylarks 6, Meadow Pipits 9, Linnets 8, Goldfinches 8, Linnets 12, Great Tits 2, Wrens 2, a solitary Kestrel and Yellowhammer. G.S. Woodpecker adult with 2 juveniles also up to 15 Mistle Thrushes and Ravens 2.

G.S. Woodpecker

Linnet

This afternoon the Great White Egret still in the middle of the main marsh tho elusive, 2 Green Sandpipers, Bar-tailed Godwit and a Hobby

Woken by swallows frantic alarm calling this morning. Went to investigate and disturbed male sparrowhawk in the garage where swallows are feeding young. Same thing happened last year although there was no obvious predation and youngsters successfully fledged. Wondering what will happen this year?

Along the vegetated sides of the trail the Chiffchaff & Blackcap were singing with some of the enthusiasm of earlier in the spring, like a replay of spring migrant arrivals.

Some of the Black headed Gulls have returned, most still in summer plumage, one juvenile within the flock.

12 Little Egrets on the salt marsh at Pottington. 

This evening, I walked from Fremington to Yelland and got some shots of a Greenfinch,Whitethroat, a Kestrel and two Goldfinches. All were seen at the Yelland end of my walk.

Greenfinch

Whitethroat

Great evening visit to Exminster Marsh. GWE, 2 Wood & 2 Green Sandpipers, 8+ Med Gull, and returning birds, 70+ Redshank, 50+ Curlew, 10+ Teal, 10 Blackwits, 6 Shoveler, M Pintail. 

Two Wood Sandpipers feeding in one of the Smallhanger Pools at the top of Crownhill Down this afternoon. More photos: https://bit.ly/3y24XN7 

Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpipers

Evidence of successful Stonechat breeding today with 3 newly fledged young being watched over by both parents; also Siskin (male), 2 Ravens, c35 Swifts, 1st-summer Mediterranean Gull, Marbled White & 2 Small Heaths.

This morning I spotted a group of around a 100 Canada geese on a sand bank near Pottington.  Photo taken from Shapland side of the river. In the group is an unknown bird close-up sent for ID.

Canada geese

Good views of a redpoll and redstart by the Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists Association yesterday on an branch outing to Challacombe Farm

First returning Green Sandpiper, on edge of Southdown Farm.

Non-avian:  2 male Red-veined Darters over ponds.

First flock of Redshank are back already in the corner on the bend of the river  Also 2 ad + 3 juv Shelduck.

10.48 HOBBY very close but very fast over my chicken pen, first up here

Common tern with black headed gulls on the river yesterday 

Nightjar churring on Friday night from 10pm in Cann Woods, where trees of plantation are lower.  Good views of at least 3 males flying and 2 females near by. 3 Glowworms showing in vegetation by main path and several bats possibly pipistrelles were flying after moths.

Great White Egret showing well on lagoon until it vanished into the reeds. 90+ Curlew, 2 1st Summer Meds the best of the rest. 

No further sightings of the two Black-Winged Stilts at HM Farm but two turned up in Gloucestershire (Pilning Wetland) on June 25th, the day after my sighting. Coincidence?

Late post. Had one or two photos to sort before posting. The Black-winged stilt was showing very well despite the poor light.  Got some distant shots and one in flight caught me by surprise as it flew overhead while I was taking a phone call. rubbish image but thought that I would post it anyway.

Black winged stilt

Black-winged stilt

A few returning waders on this morning's very high tide at Blaxton Meadow, the summering Greenshank joined by 19 Curlews, 16 Redshanks and 2 Oystercatchers. Also there, the Shelducks included a pair with 5 ducklings and the Black-headed Gulls, my first juvenile of the year. Elsewhere, a pair of Stonechats, Green Woodpecker and a male Bullfinch.

One found this morning by JD- on main lagoon and still present mid morning when showed well in the open towards the right hand side of the pool - otherwise just a few brief flight views.

This was 06.15 this morning , poor light & from some distance but I was delighted to find this Spotted Redshank , a first for me in summer plumage. 

Looking down at the sea from the clifftop above the guillemot colony, rafts of guillemots with 4 razorbills among them, groups of flying kittiwakes apparently leaving and returning to ledges and flyby fulmars. It would be worth someone checking the kittiwake colony at Exmouth to help pin down whether the Berry Head birds are relocating local breeders or if they come from further away.

Razorbills and guillemots.

And indeed still present at 7.30p.m.

The Black winged Stilt was present on the scrape late aft early evening + 1 Black tailed Godwit.

Highlight was nesting Siskins (probably a site first); also 3 Spotted Flycatchers, a pair of Stonechats, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Shag, 17+ Mandarin Ducks, a pair of mute Swans with 3 cygnets, 4+ Roe Deer, 1 or 2 Marbled Whites & a Small Skipper.

Glad to see Phil back in action! The Stilt was still there when I left the reserve at 1 o'clock.

Thanks to Jon Turner we did find the Black Winged Stilt this morning, 10:15, on the scrape. Sorry, Rob, you missed it, but we were just lucky ;) 

Black winged Stilt Wrafton scrape

I was watching the Black winged Stilt between 5-6pm, he remained firmly in place on the scrape, so it would appear there are 3! Wow!

Black-winged Stilt still present this morning along with a Bar-tailed Godwit.

While traveling along a country lane near Clayhiden, I spotted this and two other Yellowhammers, a couple of Linnets and a Wren.  Not quite on the same level as the two Stilts seen by Jon Turner and Sue Ambler but worthy of a mention.  

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Pyramidal Orchid & Biting Stonecrop

Just to be sure - was anyone watching the Wrafton Stilt while the 2 were being photographed across the river? At about 5 - 5.30 ish I think Sue said.

Was very surprised to find Two Black-Winged Stilts feeding at the southern pond near the owl box this afternoon. Watched from 5 to 5.30 in sea mist. They took flight briefly but soon reappeared and carried on feeding. Apologies for very poor record shots. 

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilts...

Couple of poor pics of the Stilt at Wrafton this morning

Arrived at the scrape this morning to see two Waders, and thought they must be the Black-tailed Godwits I saw the other day. But no, one was a Bar-tailed Godwit and the other was Black-winged Stilt!  I quickly called Sue, and a couple of others. Three of us went birding in Cornwall yesterday, and had hoped to see the Black-winged Stilt at Marazion, but it was a no-show. Perhaps this is the same bird? Pics shortly.

Didn't stay in one place today, so a few locations

Emsworthy mire -  7 am start  here, had 1 cuckoo in the fields, not too active just the one call here and there. Male redstart in nearby scrub. Plenty of pippits scattered about, rooks and jackdaws. Skylark, stonechat, wheaters, robins, bluetits, greenfinch. Didn't hang around long

Yarner wood-  Popped over here next. Lots of pied and spotted fly catchers, most hanging around tree tops, GSW, gold/green finch,  great/blue tit, nuthatch, willow warblers, buzzards, pheasant. 

Then finally stover-  A very close obliging buzzard at the walkway, returned several times within 10m of us just sitting there, beautiful bird. Also, Jay, stock dove, swallow, swift, mandarin, mallards, coots, morehens, pheasant, the other usual woodland birds, swan with 6 teenage youngsters now, song thrush. GSW 

The only water birds at the Avon Dam this morning were 10 roosting red-head Goosanders on the spillway, departing down river at 0530. Double-figure counts in June are not unprecedented here, but this was my highest count of roosters at the dam since February. The sudden increase in red-heads from only two-four during the last three months could be due to the inclusion of at least one brood of this year's young. Some of the birds do indeed show the juvenile feature of a thin white line running from bill to below the eye, but not the duller legs.

Roosting Goosanders about to depart

Walked out and back along the railway, and briefly on to the moor:

- along the way, one Garden Warbler, always in the thickest vegetation, to every nineteen Blackcaps, allowing occasional comparison of the songs. There seemed to be an element of Chaffinch mimicry in one of the GW's song, new for me;

- in Meldon Quarry, Redpolls buzzing over the Birches, and Swallows taking food into the slowly-decaying, "preserved" but vandalised carriages;

- in the hedgerows, Redstarts feeding newly-fledged young;

- on the fringe of the moor, Wheatears, Stonechats, Linnets and Ravens, and a Jay "fly-catching" from the ground. Couldn't see what it was getting, but perhaps a hatch of ants. 

Upper Tamar Lake this morning.

2 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Stone Chat 1m 1f, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Bullfinch, 3 Sedge Warbler, 23 Canada Geese, 5 Mallard, 1 White Throat.

Lower Tamar Lake.

2 Mut Swan, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 28 Mallard, 1 juv Grey Wagtail, 2 Robin, 1 Cormorant, 5 Chaffinch, 1 Jay, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Nuthatch, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Moorhen plus 4 chicks, 3 Carrion Crow.

270 Dark Green Fritillaries; 1st Grayling.

3 Keeled Skimmers; 3 Golden Ringed Dragonflies; male Banded Demoiselle.

3 Brown Hares

Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly & Viper's Bugloss.

3 juvenile siskins on nyger feeder in garden this morning. 

Good extended views of three cuckoos on the NE flanks of Black Hill.

Much harassment from meadow pipits etc.

I did not hear any calls from the cuckoos.

1 female Yellowhammer, 12+ Swallows, 1, male Linnet, 2 singing Blackcaps, 5+ House Sparrows

Harvey Kendall& Barry Bryne.