Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (5 Viewers)

[Jos Stratford]

Very good Terry!!

Staying with the adder theme, the male Adder was dutifully waiting to have his photo taken this morning!

Very nice picture there Karen, best I could do last year was fairly appalling - they just wouldn't pose like that!

 

[Simon Wakely]

Well Team thats a new heading, Sue and I have Spotted this year some great birds. Male hen Harrier,Fly over Cuckoo, Lesser spot Drilling.But Egyptian Geese mating in the in the Axe Valley, Thats Fantastic. Hoping to post pics tomorrow.5,000000000 POINTS to us. Nice to read Forum Fun, Trying to Adder up the points for the best Joke.

 

[Steve Waite]

Spent a couple of hours out in the field this morning, mostly around the estuary: little around, 2 Wheatear and a few more Swallows, but a single Whimbrel west over the beach was a nice highlight!

Driving home from my girlfriends tonight, a Tawny Owl was sat on the 'Scalwell Park' street sign! Great views!!!

 

[Simon Wakely]

An estuary first but couldn't find them this evening.

 

[Simon Wakely]

Well Gang members, 30 mins at Farm gate 6.30pm. 12 Canada geese ,3 teal on scrape. Steve, how many points for our mating Egyptian Geese, First pic in the history of Birding in the Axe. Still like Gav, Waiting for points update.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Still like Gav, Waiting for points update.

So I'm not the only Bonanza player wondering what's going on! In most other games I've ever played an up-to-date tally is all part of the fun, and keeps the players interested, eg. golf, darts, snooker, basketball, football, cricket, squash, tennis, badminton, scrabble, boggle, bridge, nomination whist, etc, etc.......hmm - seems I've played a few. How can we plan our 'finding' strategy if we can't see the scoresheet??

Anyway, on to less important stuff. I have actually been out in the field a bit over the last couple of days. Yesterday first: early morning visit to Beer Head was pretty dire - 2 Swallows, 6 Willow Warblers. When the sun came up I had a look for adders, but realised there was a lot of hedge to check, and failed dismally. Karen - if you read this could you PM me with location please? I've adder nuff of failing to see them. Ta. At 12 I saw the 2 Egyptian Geese on the estuary by the tramsheds. No naughtiness at the time, but Simon has since proved they are a pair! We await the patter of tiny webbed feet. Also at the tramsheds was an Iceland Gull - I only had bins, so couldn't say for sure which one it was, but I think probably the 'new' one. Late evening it was flat calm off the seafront, where there were 2 Common Scoters (the same 2 I think), 3 Guillemots and an extremely distant diver sp. Not a single bird passed while I scanned.

On to today. A slightly-later-in-the-morning visit to Beer Head resulted in 5 Wheatears, 2 Swallows, 7 Willow Warblers and 4 Chiffs. A Clouded Yellow was the highlight. The migrants aren't exactly pouring in right now, are they? Well, not here anyway. A lunchtime gull check drew a blank - 3 Common Gulls the best I could muster, though the Egyptian Geese were at the tramsheds again - looking worn out. An evening visit to Colyford was interesting. 2 littoralis Rock Pipits gave me my best ever views of the subspecies, and I've attached 3 photos that I'm well pleased with. A few Swallows and Sand Martins over the marshes, but still no House Martin for me yet! 2 different singing Cetti's was nice, which along with the one on territory on the Borrow Pit at Seaton Marshes gives us at least 3 males. Finally, a Lesser Whitethroat was singing just N of the viewing platform. Is that the first, and therefore yet more points for my humungous total Steve? Will we ever know?

 

[cupradude]

Adder's

Just to let you know gavin i have had Adders on the estuary,on the hedgerow by the campsite at axmouth,mightbe worth a look!!

 

[Steve Waite]

Mental!!!

Heard Ian M had a few migrants down in the undercliff this morning- so I thought Seaton Marshes was an obvious port of call after I dropped my girlfriend off at work at 10. Walking half way out to my hide, just casually raised my bins towards the most water filled scrape and I virtually dropped down dead on the spot!!! The front half of a Stone Curlew was sat down facing me - close, too. Then followed the usual hurried phonecalls to all the locals but this stopped when the blighter got up and flew!!! Enjoyed the flight views - but was more concerned about where it was going to fly to!!!! LUCKILY it landed again in the field to the south of the marsh where it showed well for the next 15 minutes. It has now walked probably down into a ditch - so it has been invisible for the past hour or so...still there somewhere though!

If this wasn't enough - 2 more great highlights. Just as I came off the phone from Gav when he had just clapped eyes on it, an LRP noisily flew low north over the reserve, and later on, on the way back from the hide, a female Red-breasted Merganser flew high north over the reserve - heading for Axmouth....our first of the year I think.

Here are my two best of the Stone Curlew after it had gone for a little fly around - it was very misty, raining and the bird was distant - so pictures are crap!

EDIT: It has just flown low north over the reserve....maybe Colyford Common? Maybe even Colyford WTW field........
EDIT EDIT: It is still on Seaton Marshes, it flew as far as the northern most scrape!
EDIT EDIT EDIT: Ooops!!! - just found out female Red-Breasted Merganser is a female Goosander!!!

 

[Tav94]

Mental!!!

Heard Ian M had a few migrants down in the undercliff this morning- so I thought Seaton Marshes was an obvious port of call after I dropped my girlfriend off at work at 10. Walking half way out to my hide, just casually raised my bins towards the most water filled scrape and I virtually dropped down dead on the spot!!! The front half of a Stone Curlew was sat down facing me - close, too. Then followed the usual hurried phonecalls to all the locals but this stopped when the blighter got up and flew!!! Enjoyed the flight views - but was more concerned about where it was going to fly to!!!! LUCKILY it landed again in the field to the south of the marsh where it showed well for the next 15 minutes. It has now walked probably down into a ditch - so it has been invisible for the past hour or so...still there somewhere though!

If this wasn't enough - 2 more great highlights. Just as I came off the phone from Gav when he had just clapped eyes on it, an LRP noisily flew low north over the reserve, and later on, on the way back from the hide, a female Red-breasted Merganser flew high north over the reserve - heading for Axmouth....our first of the year I think.

Here are my two best of the Stone Curlew after it had gone for a little fly around - it was very misty, raining and the bird was distant - so pictures are crap!

EDIT: It has just flown low north over the reserve....maybe Colyford Common? Maybe even Colyford WTW field........
EDIT EDIT: It is still on Seaton Marshes, it flew as far as the northern most scrape!

Nice find well done.

 

[Gavin Haig]

A stonking find by Steve this morning! Apparently the first twitchable Stone Curlew in Devon for about 20 years, it certainly didn't give itself up easily. It flew N for a while and disappeared, then back again, hiding itself amongst the vegetation by the scrapes, then showed superbly for a few moments out in the open, before flying up the river, onto the mud N of Coronation Corner. During the brief close views you could it was colour-ringed - hopefully investigation will prove it was hatched somewhere OTHER than Paignton Zoo..... |=)|

Attached is probably my best photographic effort, taken while it was trying to be invisible - you can just make out a blue colour-ring (which was just above the left 'knee').

Steve thoroughly deserves the points for that, but I am putting a claim in for the female Goosander up at Coronation Corner a little later!

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Well done again you jammy lot !

 

[Ranger James]

Cracking bird Steve, well done as ever. Made itself fittingly awkward to see, but got terrific views in the end. What a place this is!
James

 

[KarenWoolley]

What a stunning bird!! It was certainly worth sprinting up all those steps from Under Hooken to see. Another lifer for me!|=)|

Boy do I need a rest and a cup of tea!!

I'm now going to go and pay the mechanic who fixed my car this morning with a smile on my face for a change!! If it wasn't for him I'd have probably missed it, although I'd most likely have walked it to Seaton!!

I got a couple of photos too. This one of it squaring up to a pheasant being the best of 'em.

 

[bun]

Pictures speak for themselves stone curlew at seaton marshes!! thanks for the call steve, i think thats the quickest my mopeds ever gone from Beer to Seaton..Great stuff!

 

[Steve Waite]

And I hear it is still here....

Thanks for earning me 2 more belated points Gav!!! But you are definitely entitled to those points as well, for the correct ID of the GooseMerganser!!!

First whispers have it that it is a Wessex bird.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Thanks for earning me 2 more belated points Gav!!! But you are definitely entitled to those points as well, for the correct ID of the GooseMerganser!!!

Perhaps you saw a different bird, Steve? In which case I would keep the 2 extra points, which I may need later! OK, perhaps not.......

As the working day was already severely compromised by good birds, I thought I may as well mess it up totally by traipsing up Beer Head mid-afternoon. 35+ Willow Warblers (mostly at the top of the undercliff), 3 Wheatears, and a spanking male Redstart made it worthwhile. The icing on the cake, though, was my first adder - seen where Karen told me to look (thanks Karen :t: ). It was a bit too wary to photograph, but a minute or two later I came across another, which was very obliging. Excellent!

Later, it was all action at Coronation Corner, where I was too late to see the adult Little Gull, but did see the Stone Curlew once more. I was just getting my scope on what I was told were 2 LRPs when they flew. There were at least 2, perhaps 3, but all I can say was that they were small waders without obvious wingbars - UTVs for me (UnTickable Views!)

Finally, got rapid confirmation of the provenance of our Stone Curlew - and it isn't from Paignton Zoo.....or Wessex for that matter. Here's the email that the project leader sent:

Gavin

Thanks for this. In that case, you saw ET44595, ringed as a chick at Elveden near Thetford (Breckland) on 27 May 2005. It and its sibling were seen to fledge, but whereas the sibling has been seen since, this one has not (though all the records for last year are not computerised yet, so I might be wrong). Most stone curlews breed for the first time aged two years, but it is a bit late if it is coming to Breckland to breed this year. We will let you know if it turns up. Thanks again for the record and please let me know if you see it, or others, again.

Rhys
​

 

[Kev Rylands]

Great find Steve and thanks for the call - glad so many people have been unblocked!

Was about the confirm that it wasn't a Wessex bird but I see Gavin and Mr Green have already finished the job.

Shame I managed to miss everything else there today bar a few swallows but good to be back in the east.

Cheers
Kev

 

[Andrew]

Top bird and top bit of cod from Frydays afterwards as usual!

 

[bun]

Well what a day for the patch, stone curlew, summer plummaged little gull, goosander, redstarts, pied flycatcher, ring ouzel, and maybe 2 or 3 L.R.P,s( one was definate saw its gold eye ring, shame the others were distant) also 60+ swallows, martins, at coly common this evening and 5 wheatears.

 

[Simon Wakely]

Sue and I saw the Stone Curlew at 7.30 pm. Not much light Thanks Kev for telling us were it was.Friday 13th is now classified as lucky. whilst watching curlew, 3 Ringed plovers made a apperance running around to the left of it. A Swift was seen at Berry head today.