Andrew
wibble wibble
Here's my third posting, went on the RSPB Avocet cruise on the Exe and here's my diary entry....
18-01-03
Location : RSPB Avocet Cruise, Exe Estuary, Devon. SX9884
On the way to Exmouth there was a Kestrel hovering over the A376 at Sandy Gate to start off what I hoped to be a good day out on the RSPB Avocet cruise up and down the Exe estuary. The morning had started off fine with a little sunshine but as we arrived in Exmouth the winds had strengthened considerably, making the sea quite choppy. I scanned the sea from the front and did not see much through my bins save for some gulls. We boarded the boat under still worsening weather, I was not comforted by a plaque on the boat showing it was old enough to have been at Dunkirk! The boat started off out towards the open sea for a short distance and I was enthusiastically watching a possible scoter flock but the skipper decided to turn round at this point and they did not come into a good enough view for a tick. The craft approached Warren Point where I picked up some of 300+ Oystercatchers and 300+ Dunlin as well as a few of 18 Cormorants. Here the cruise soon got my pulse racing as a young first winter Surf Scoter actively flew around and settled in the water close enough to the boat to allow great views before setting off again around the Point, there was also a small group of birders on the bank studying this bird in the lee of the wind. It sported a dark black crown and nape with paler greyish cheeks followed by dark black colour all over the rest of it’s body, the bill was a plain dark gunmetal with a pronounced thickness to it’s contours. I do not have a good memory about the tip of the bill but I am sure it dipped slightly because as I checked the guide I concluded it was no where near the Common Scoter’s thinner and smoother profile. I was buzzing already after this sea duck, especially with such a close inspection. This was a new bird for me and I do not expect to have such a good view of another for a long time, this made me slightly thankful for the awful weather as it probably pushed this bird in off the sea. A short moment later I saw the second scoters of the day with two of 3 Common Scoters near the edge of Cockle Sand along with a vague possibility of some Eiders that I did not count as they were obscured by misty rain some way off from the boat. Opposite Cockwood were the first lots of today’s 19+ Red Breasted Mergansers with nothing much else to shout about until we approached The Ridge and saw some of 64 Grey Plovers, 150+ Great Black Backed Gulls, 500+ Black Headed Gulls, 500+ Herring Gulls and some more Oystercatchers and Dunlin. The gulls and some Carrion Crows were collecting shellfish and flying straight up to drop them from a height trying to free the goodness inside. At this point I had two more great birds in the form of a Velvet Scoter flying past the boat towards the river mouth and an adult Yellow Legged Gull roosting on The Ridge. The ‘Velvet’ was a jet black sea duck showing an obvious broad white supercilium in flight holding orange legs under it’s tail, I did not glimpse the facial features but had enough to claim it. The gull was very much similar to a Herring Gull except as it name suggests, it had yellow legs! The Gull was another new bird for me making me a greatly satisfied fellow. The guide mentioned a Goldeneye that I could not locate at all, however I did spy 2 Slavonian Grebes. Also along The Ridge were some of 6 Bar Tailed Godwits, 100+ Black Tailed Godwits, 500+ Lapwings, 65 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks, 75+ Ringed Plovers, 50+ Mallards and only 2 Wigeons. There were probably more Wigeons but I could only see two. The boat then passed along Powderham Sand at which point the weather was so poor that I only ventured out for ten minutes at a time and watched most of the remaining birds from inside. Here were more of the waders previously mentioned along with the first of my 14 Avocets, which I considered a very low count and a single Little Egret flew over the fields behind the Powderham to Turf path. Moving on to Greenland Bank brought the bulk of the waders and some special ones including another first for me in the guise of 24 Golden Plovers opposite the Turf Hotel. Previous to today, I had been scanning the Grey Plovers for these birds and when I saw these I found it so easy to tell the difference between the two as the Golden is a browner version of the Grey. There was also a Redshank sized wader with a long bill and scaly plumage on it’s back. I could not manage to identify it with the field guide being tucked away in my bag. I put it down as being a simple Greenshank obscured by the poor weather. We finished off up along Topsham where I scanned the edges of the houses for Water Rails without luck, the boat then turned round. By now, being cold and wet, I had no desire to watch from outside, the vessel made a quicker pace back to Exmouth and the windows were so bad nothing much could be seen save for 3 Shelducks and a heart warming Mediterranean Gull which flew past and was soon confirmed by the voice on the loudspeaker! Near Exmouth a Guillemot was seen but not by me as the covered area was so crowded it would be awkward trying to walk across to see it through heavily misted windows. At the end of the day the guide said it was the worst weather he had ever witnessed on one of these trips, yet I felt satisfied with my list for today especially with three new birds, a strong assortment of star billing birds and most of all the brilliant view of the Surf Scoter.
18-01-03
Location : RSPB Avocet Cruise, Exe Estuary, Devon. SX9884
On the way to Exmouth there was a Kestrel hovering over the A376 at Sandy Gate to start off what I hoped to be a good day out on the RSPB Avocet cruise up and down the Exe estuary. The morning had started off fine with a little sunshine but as we arrived in Exmouth the winds had strengthened considerably, making the sea quite choppy. I scanned the sea from the front and did not see much through my bins save for some gulls. We boarded the boat under still worsening weather, I was not comforted by a plaque on the boat showing it was old enough to have been at Dunkirk! The boat started off out towards the open sea for a short distance and I was enthusiastically watching a possible scoter flock but the skipper decided to turn round at this point and they did not come into a good enough view for a tick. The craft approached Warren Point where I picked up some of 300+ Oystercatchers and 300+ Dunlin as well as a few of 18 Cormorants. Here the cruise soon got my pulse racing as a young first winter Surf Scoter actively flew around and settled in the water close enough to the boat to allow great views before setting off again around the Point, there was also a small group of birders on the bank studying this bird in the lee of the wind. It sported a dark black crown and nape with paler greyish cheeks followed by dark black colour all over the rest of it’s body, the bill was a plain dark gunmetal with a pronounced thickness to it’s contours. I do not have a good memory about the tip of the bill but I am sure it dipped slightly because as I checked the guide I concluded it was no where near the Common Scoter’s thinner and smoother profile. I was buzzing already after this sea duck, especially with such a close inspection. This was a new bird for me and I do not expect to have such a good view of another for a long time, this made me slightly thankful for the awful weather as it probably pushed this bird in off the sea. A short moment later I saw the second scoters of the day with two of 3 Common Scoters near the edge of Cockle Sand along with a vague possibility of some Eiders that I did not count as they were obscured by misty rain some way off from the boat. Opposite Cockwood were the first lots of today’s 19+ Red Breasted Mergansers with nothing much else to shout about until we approached The Ridge and saw some of 64 Grey Plovers, 150+ Great Black Backed Gulls, 500+ Black Headed Gulls, 500+ Herring Gulls and some more Oystercatchers and Dunlin. The gulls and some Carrion Crows were collecting shellfish and flying straight up to drop them from a height trying to free the goodness inside. At this point I had two more great birds in the form of a Velvet Scoter flying past the boat towards the river mouth and an adult Yellow Legged Gull roosting on The Ridge. The ‘Velvet’ was a jet black sea duck showing an obvious broad white supercilium in flight holding orange legs under it’s tail, I did not glimpse the facial features but had enough to claim it. The gull was very much similar to a Herring Gull except as it name suggests, it had yellow legs! The Gull was another new bird for me making me a greatly satisfied fellow. The guide mentioned a Goldeneye that I could not locate at all, however I did spy 2 Slavonian Grebes. Also along The Ridge were some of 6 Bar Tailed Godwits, 100+ Black Tailed Godwits, 500+ Lapwings, 65 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks, 75+ Ringed Plovers, 50+ Mallards and only 2 Wigeons. There were probably more Wigeons but I could only see two. The boat then passed along Powderham Sand at which point the weather was so poor that I only ventured out for ten minutes at a time and watched most of the remaining birds from inside. Here were more of the waders previously mentioned along with the first of my 14 Avocets, which I considered a very low count and a single Little Egret flew over the fields behind the Powderham to Turf path. Moving on to Greenland Bank brought the bulk of the waders and some special ones including another first for me in the guise of 24 Golden Plovers opposite the Turf Hotel. Previous to today, I had been scanning the Grey Plovers for these birds and when I saw these I found it so easy to tell the difference between the two as the Golden is a browner version of the Grey. There was also a Redshank sized wader with a long bill and scaly plumage on it’s back. I could not manage to identify it with the field guide being tucked away in my bag. I put it down as being a simple Greenshank obscured by the poor weather. We finished off up along Topsham where I scanned the edges of the houses for Water Rails without luck, the boat then turned round. By now, being cold and wet, I had no desire to watch from outside, the vessel made a quicker pace back to Exmouth and the windows were so bad nothing much could be seen save for 3 Shelducks and a heart warming Mediterranean Gull which flew past and was soon confirmed by the voice on the loudspeaker! Near Exmouth a Guillemot was seen but not by me as the covered area was so crowded it would be awkward trying to walk across to see it through heavily misted windows. At the end of the day the guide said it was the worst weather he had ever witnessed on one of these trips, yet I felt satisfied with my list for today especially with three new birds, a strong assortment of star billing birds and most of all the brilliant view of the Surf Scoter.
