Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (12 Viewers)

[KarenWoolley]

I had a quick look along river early afternoon where there were stacks of gulls many them oiled again! Only waders seen were 7 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Dunlin. Also a Peregrine over Bridge Marsh area.

Looks like a fine morning forecast tomorrow, so off up Beer Head to find a Pied Flycatcher for me I think.

I wonder how many birders have Audouin's Gull on their UK list but NOT Pied fly or Golden Plover!! Just one perhaps?? |=)|

 

[dan pointon]

I had a quick look along river early afternoon where there were stacks of gulls many them oiled again! Only waders seen were 7 Black-tailed Godwit and 1 Dunlin. Also a Peregrine over Bridge Marsh area.

Looks like a fine morning forecast tomorrow, so off up Beer Head to find a Pied Flycatcher for me I think.

I wonder how many birders have Audouin's Gull on their UK list but NOT Pied fly or Golden Plover!! Just one perhaps?? |=)|

Definitely! 8-P

 

[Gavin Haig]

Bumped into Karen this morning up at Beer Head, hoping for a Pied Fly to sit next to Audouin's Gull on her burgeoning British List! A delightful stroll revealed few migrants, but still a nice little collection: 2 Tree Pipits flew N as I arrived, and were my first of the autumn; also 2 Wheatears, 5 Blackcaps, 3 Willow Warblers, a Whitethroat, and in the Dotterel field barley were 10 Stonechats, a Whinchat and a juv Dartford Warbler (surely these Dartford records suggest very local breeding??); finally, a Redstart in the Dell, again my (our?) first this autumn.

Have decided to be disciplined and carry the scope around on future BH visits, plus camera. Attached are two shots from this morning. One of them shows a unique (for me anyway) scope-full. Karen and I got one shot each of this event, I think, and agreed to post both so we can see whose is naffer. Mine is quite a good candidate for a beginners' mystery bird quiz....|=)|

 

[KarenWoolley]

Yes Gav, my first Redstart too, I don't think anyone else has had one yet. It was my first Whinchat this autumn as well.

You Lose!!! Mine are much naffer. But I won't brag because I had the advantage of no scope, and only dodgy digital zoom, which wins every time!!!


EDIT: Also this morning on the way to Beer Head, from the Farm Gate I could see 7 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Green Sandpipers on The Scrape.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Sorry Gav, you blew it - regardless of the naffness of the Dartford and the Whinsplodge next to it, the first Whinchat picture has character, thereby deeming your entry as invalid. Shame on you, expelled from even a naffness competition!

 

[Roger Boswell]

A rather dozy young Greenfinch on the path to the Seaton hide today. A single Wheatear was on a post in front of the hide and a young Egret was giving a demonstration of tree climbing.

Bruckland Ponds were alive with Damsel flies with Red-eyed ones in the majority.

 

[Roger Boswell]

Dozens of Gulls on the scrape at Colyton and over 60 Curlews in the fields beyond. A Buzzard flew over going towards the coast and a Kestrel was hunting in the field near the houses.

Can anyone suggest what these rather poor images show.

The first was a small wader on the far side of the scrape at Colyton. It was about Common Sandpiper size (one was near it)

The other flew over as I was leaving - is it a Common Buzzard?

 

[Simon Wakely]

Hi gang,

Latest news,
•Little Owl
•Tawny Owl
•Barn Owl screaming it's head off at 2am and woke me up!
•6pm, Honey Buzzard still around flew over
One thing we've both noticed is how much it glides, with it's wings as flat as a pancake.

Another terrible picture, i zoomed in with a digital camera and got this image of a yellow forehead and face markings, put the two clues together and should come-up with the name of this little beauty.

We made a new peanut feeder by drilling holes in one side of a log and attracted the bird seen below.

Happy Birding
Simon and Sue

 

[KarenWoolley]

I see no one identified your birds for you last night Roger, So seeing as I haven't got an established reputation as an identification guru to ruin, I'm not scared to have a stab at them!!

The first two are Green Sandpipers and it looks good for a Common Buzzard to me!

 

[Gavin Haig]

Fun With Dots

I like a zoom eyepiece. Some while ago I shelled out for one, and it has, on occasion, meant the difference between identifying a bird and having to let it go. Whilst seawatching it has often converted a travelling dot into something rather more exciting (Little Auk and Puffin spring to mind). Trouble is, sometimes all it does is convert a TINY dot into a BIG dot. That happened this morning. About 07:00 I'm sitting in the thatched shelter with Bun and Karen, enjoying the big sea and occasional bird, when this little tiny dot casually pops up on the horizon. Ooh, what was that? Zoom up a bit. Ah, TWO dots, just tiny now, and definitely interesting. Look good for shearwater-shaped dots. Zoom right up to 75X (thank-you, Nikon) and they now become LARGE-shearwater-shaped BIG dots, albeit hardly crisp and well-resolved (if you know what a massive zoom is like). Now, while I've seen lots and lots of Manxies and Balearics, I shan't publicly embarrass myself by commenting too much (well, at all) about my familiarity with big 'uns. Suffice to say, on a couple of fully-tipped-up-on-end shears the wings looked mostly straight (rather than rakish, a la Sooty). Although invisible below the horizon (ie. against the sea) they did actually look like very dark dots. Anyway, they were around 48 miles out, probably not even in British waters, and VERY unidentifiable (left MY skills wanting, for sure). Presumably Fulmars then.....|=)|

While we were all enjoying the dots a Black Tern flew straight through my fully-zoomed scope! Wow - an adult too! Only the 2nd I've seen here, this was the morning's proper highlight, really. Other stuff heading W - 2 Arctic Terns, 5 'commics', 26 Common Scoter (+1 E), 2 Bonxies (well, Bonxie-shaped dots), 3 Balearics, 2 Sandwich Terns and 2 Kittiwakes. Had another go this afternoon, but FAR less going on - 2 Balearics were notable exceptions.

In the rotten weather it was not surprising that the marshes were full of flocks of immensely rare gulls taking shelter. Seems to happen a lot.

 

[bun]

Very pleased to finally catch up with a Black Tern at last! ( a lifer for me and a smart bird)...and another chinese - joined phil for a sea watch this afternoon between 16.30-18.00 very quiet, 1 Arctic Skua ( light phase), 1 kittiwake, 1 juv Common Gull all west, and a few Gannets loafing around..

 

[KarenWoolley]

Tiny Black Dots

I can add just one Balearic shearwater to this mornings total, a close one which only I saw just as it edged out of view to the west of the shelter. Ian M and I had two more pass between 9:00 and 9:15 when I left, after a pleasant two and three quarter hours. Not at all marred by completely fluffing the Black Tern.

I watched for 15 minutes late this afternoon from the Yacht Club and saw no birds at all! So I had a look along the river and saw 1 Whimbrel, 5 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin, 5 Common Sandpipers, 1 Snipe and 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

On Colyford Common from the Farm Gate 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the marsh and 9 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Common Sandpiper and 4 Dunlin on The Scrape.

Best of all on the river by Colyford Common an adult Water Rail accompanied by 2 'tiny black dots', two gorgeous little chicks!! Great news and quite late ones I think! |=)|

 

[Gavin Haig]

Best of all on the river by Colyford Common an adult Water Rail accompanied by 2 'tiny black dots', two gorgeous little chicks!! Great news and quite late ones I think! |=)|

Brilliant news, Karen!! I had a black dot in late July 2005, but by 2nd week of August it was a lot less downy. Presumably 2nd brood, I guess.

 

[Steve Waite]

That's a second brood alright as young'ens have already been seen this year - well one anyway, unless we have two pairs???

I had a lazy morning - and an equally lazy afternoon, although I did manage a halfhour peek at the sea at around two-ish. Had two lots of 3 Shearwaters pass W, the first lot were 2 Balearics and 1 which vanished before it could be grilled, and the second group were all unidentifiable hazy dots..... Also 1 Commic Tern and a fair few Gannets.

Good look on the river and over Colyford produced a rather nice Knot (bit of a B-list rarity for the estuary), 4 Dunlin, 5 Ringed Plover, 9 Blackwits, 1 Whimbrel, 7 Common Sands and a heck of a lot of Gulls - mostly Black-backed ones of both species.

EDIT: Forgot to mention some additional news for yesterday, we spent the morning ringing on Colyford Common. Lots of Chiffs ended up in the mist nets, and another fresh Cetti's Warbler! Non ringing wise a Greenshank flew over plus Frazer had a prob Knot fly up river.

 

[Simon Wakely]

Hi all,

We made an effort tonight sitting under the brolly at the top of the garden, but still well worth the effort.

•Little Owl calling
•Willow Warblers calling
•2 Ravens flew over
•1000 Jackdaws approximatly with 2000 Rooks roosting in their usualy place
•Long-tailed tit invasion - our new feeder is a real hit! (Mind you it could be squirrels taking the nuts but they are suprisingly uncommon here. Don't mention the word Squirrel to Kev!)

Nice to see so many forum members checking out our images. As you should have worked out, Female Serin, our first ever, apollogies again for the quality of the pictures.

Hope you enjoy the lastest snap.

Simon and Sue:t:

 

[Steve Waite]

Nice stroke of luck this afternoon - despite being at work all day!!!

With 20 mins till closing (15:40) the store was getting rather busy with crowds of people desperately clawing for the last remaining bargains of the day - so I hide out back, and gave the yard a clean out! All of a sudden the local Gulls went mental - my eyes instantly cranked skywards and I soon picked out the shape of a large raptor flying low east over the town's skate park....'hmmmm, that ain't no Buzzard...my moneys on Osprey or Kite (Black please!!!)'. I legged it to my car - up went the bins and there was a stunning adult Osprey! It almost immediately started circling up whilst slowly drifting southeast, I left it when it was high over the tramshed with a small group of Gulls (probably all Audouin's!!!!!). Instantly brightened up an otherwise dull and stressful day!

 

[KarenWoolley]

Missed another Osprey, this time I was in Seaton driving up the riverside when I got Steve's text. I pulled over jumped out of the car with my bins at the ready and saw nothing! Some gulls circling high out towards the sea but all the gulls on the river were nonchalantly moseying around. It must have completely missed out the river in it's super quick flypast!!

Walking the dog this afternoon in Morganhayes Woods I spotted a couple of juvenile finches feeding on birch seed on the ground. They looked like Siskins to me. I took a couple of my famous naff photos for confirmation. Interesting breeding record if they are siskin??

A quick look at Colyford Common revealed 6 Blackwits, 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sands and 2 Greensands on The Scrape.

EDIT: Forgot to mention 2 Teal also.

 

[Steve Waite]

They sure are Karen - ties in well with Hawfinch John's male. Nice record!!! Sorry about missing the Osprey - I would have rung you if I knew where you were, by the time I sent the text out it was probably over the seafront!!!

 

[Gavin Haig]

Having a browse around our fascinating little thread when I came across this posting of Steve's, in response to a mild whinge of mine following a Leach's Petrel dip last December.

Not your day??? You've had two/three months of pure good fortune and jam, and you complain about one day!!! Step into my shoes....well used to it by now!!!!

I think there may be a few birders wishing they were wearing the Jam Lord's BIRDING shoes, at least, just now! I, for one, would warmly welcome another two/three months of pure good fortune and jam!

Actually, because the thread has been going for 19 months now, it is interesting to browse and see what was going on this time last year. We're amassing quite a collection of data, anecdotes and pics. Wonder what will become of it all.....

Not much for me today - a quick look at the sea first thing revealed, sure enough, some sea. Then a look at the river did reveal, finally, some birds - a Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plovers. Was just about to head out to the cinema when Steve texted about the Osprey, so couldn't do much about it, and sounds like I would have missed it anyway. Twice so far this year I've enjoyed the spectacle of wheeling hordes of offended gulls, plus a big empty space where an Osprey used to be 5 minutes ago. If I'd been quick I might have made it a third time....

Karen (Queen of Naff ), you are chalking up a nice list of confirmed breeders this year! Sounds like you've got your spreadsheet underway!

 

[Gavin Haig]

Brightening up a dull morning

As I type it is chucking down outside. Earlier I ventured up Beer Head. The first half hour was beautiful and sunny, then the cloud moved over and soon afterwards the rain began. Counts included 18 Willow Warblers, 15 Chiffs, a Whitethroat and a Blackcap, plus 5 Stonechats, a Whinchat and a juv Dartford Warbler in the Dotterel field. A high fly-over Yellow Wagtail was my first of the autumn, even if I couldn't see it! I also had 5 Wheatears, though Karen can add several to that, I think.

Talking of Wheatears, while the sun shone first thing I had a go at photographing a gorgeous autumn-plumaged male which posed very helpfully. I think I have at last discovered what my camera/scope combo is capable of. I am well chuffed with the results. All I have done is crop them a bit - no sharpening at all. The close-up involved a bit of camera zoom. The warm lighting is what you get at 6:30 in the morning! Hope they cheer you up if you're trapped in an office or something....