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Devon Birding (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter JRE
- Start date
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Malcolm Shakespeare alerted me to an influx of Sandpipers yesterday, so I went over to the newish pond at Bishop's Tawton this morning and saw at least 8 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers and a fine juvenile Wood Sandpiper. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the adult Little Gull had moved on...
Earlier, at the Skern, a single Mediterranean Gull and a Common Tern were the pick of the bunch at this morning's high tide roost. A female Peregrine put everything up at one point making 2 or 3 stoops through the roost.
Jon
Earlier, at the Skern, a single Mediterranean Gull and a Common Tern were the pick of the bunch at this morning's high tide roost. A female Peregrine put everything up at one point making 2 or 3 stoops through the roost.
Jon
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Cycled out to the pond at Bishop's Tawton again this morning, and although I couldn't find the Wood Sandpiper, it was worth the trip. 12 Little Egrets were roosting/feeding. 4 Common Sandpipers, and one Green Sandpiper feeding around the margins, along with 3 Dunlin. Scanning through the Gulls (all Black-headed) there was also a Greenshank. As I left, a couple of Redshank flew in from the river.
A place worth checking as the migration gets under way!
Jon
A place worth checking as the migration gets under way!
Jon
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
Jon, is this the pond that you access from the iron bridge by Rock Park?
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Hi Roy,
Yes then along the south bank of the river under the by-pass and also under the next railway bridge, then immediately right.
Jon
Bowling Green Marsh
One Wood Sandpiper showing well from the hide this evening around the main pool, also a Ruff with the Redshank flock and 2 Green Sands. Also a Barnacle Goose and 2 Bar-Headed Geese with the Canada Goose flock and 3 Black Swans on the estuary off the viewing platform.
One Wood Sandpiper showing well from the hide this evening around the main pool, also a Ruff with the Redshank flock and 2 Green Sands. Also a Barnacle Goose and 2 Bar-Headed Geese with the Canada Goose flock and 3 Black Swans on the estuary off the viewing platform.
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Anyone in the market for a few Canada Geese? - yesterday, I counted 661 before I got bored and came home. They were flying from marstage farm (just across the road from velator harbour), over the estuary towards the Isley Marsh area. There must have been at least another hundred still in the field. This flock has gradually built up over the years and I'm sure they scare off lots of the other birds from Sherpa marsh, and probably other places too.
Jon
Jon
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
LOL Stu, I wondered what the heck was going on when I first got there - though there must be a UK first turned up on the Marsh but it was a bloody model Railway!. Still it was quite once I got off the Tarka Trail.
colonelboris
Right way up again
I made a trip to Bowling Green Marsh last Sunday and was quite lucky - male Garganey, two Green Sandpipers, a pair of Common Sandpipers, a juvenile and adult Wood Sandpiper. From the platform, there was a Greenshank and a an overhead Whimbrel. On the Exe, a juvenile Shag was drying itself on a sandbank. An awful lot of Goldfinches about and not many other small birds.
Hyrax
Well-known member
Evening all,
Would any of you Devonshire birders know of some good spots to go scope shopping? I tried in exeter, but the 2 shops - London camera exchange and Devon cameras - have a very small range.
The only scope in my price range being the Opticron MM2 mighty midgit (btw would this be too under-powered for the exe and the warren?)
I don't mind making a day of it too get a good buy so a couple of hours travelling is not out of the question.
In other news I had a great day out on the warren recently, I was fishing not birding ironically but ended up with the most dramatic birding day on the warren this year!
First some bass drove a shoal of sand eels right up to the shore I was fishing from, the sea was suddenly boiling with fish and then the sandwhich terns arrived, hitting the water a few feet in front of me! Shame I didn't have my camera.
Walking back along the beach I noticed a few small waders running along the shore line about 10 metres in front of me. I looked down and reached into my bag to get my binocs out, heard an alarm call and looked back up expecting to see a few white blurs zooming off out to sea. Instead I saw a cloud of feathers at the centre of which stood a juvenile peregrin looking rather nonchalant. It stared at me for a few seconds, then took of with its kill and began to eat it on the wing.
I imagine small waders (I'd guess they were Dunlin - never did get a proper look at them) are probably very wary of the skies but at this particular moment there were several hundred gulls and terns in the sky above. The peregrine blended into the crowd again very quickly, I probably wouldn't have noticed it had I not followed it up. I wonder if this could have been a learned behaviour to hunt the shore birds?
Would any of you Devonshire birders know of some good spots to go scope shopping? I tried in exeter, but the 2 shops - London camera exchange and Devon cameras - have a very small range.
The only scope in my price range being the Opticron MM2 mighty midgit (btw would this be too under-powered for the exe and the warren?)
I don't mind making a day of it too get a good buy so a couple of hours travelling is not out of the question.
In other news I had a great day out on the warren recently, I was fishing not birding ironically but ended up with the most dramatic birding day on the warren this year!
First some bass drove a shoal of sand eels right up to the shore I was fishing from, the sea was suddenly boiling with fish and then the sandwhich terns arrived, hitting the water a few feet in front of me! Shame I didn't have my camera.
Walking back along the beach I noticed a few small waders running along the shore line about 10 metres in front of me. I looked down and reached into my bag to get my binocs out, heard an alarm call and looked back up expecting to see a few white blurs zooming off out to sea. Instead I saw a cloud of feathers at the centre of which stood a juvenile peregrin looking rather nonchalant. It stared at me for a few seconds, then took of with its kill and began to eat it on the wing.
I imagine small waders (I'd guess they were Dunlin - never did get a proper look at them) are probably very wary of the skies but at this particular moment there were several hundred gulls and terns in the sky above. The peregrine blended into the crowd again very quickly, I probably wouldn't have noticed it had I not followed it up. I wonder if this could have been a learned behaviour to hunt the shore birds?
Andrew
wibble wibble
Not quite sure of a good scope shop. I think the best bet might be a day trip on the train to Truro to visit South West Optics.
http://www.swoptics.co.uk/home.asp
Hopefully someone else can advise better.
http://www.swoptics.co.uk/home.asp
Hopefully someone else can advise better.
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Had a call this afternoon from Matt Twiggs with news of Spotted Crake at the Bradiford reserve in Barnstaple, so I quickly met him there! It showed well on and off for another hour and a half until the persistent rain drove me home. It was being harrassed by a Snipe, which displayed at it and then chased it back into the reeds on several occasions. Green Sandpiper also present. Matt saw a Whinchat on the reserve earlier too.
It's strange, I've called in at the reserve several times in the last week or so, and thought 'could be good for a Spotted Crake'!
Jon
It's strange, I've called in at the reserve several times in the last week or so, and thought 'could be good for a Spotted Crake'!
Jon
devon.birder
Well-known member
Wilson's Phalarope showing well this afternoon at Exminster Marshes on the last pool on your right before the canal car park. At least four Curlew Sandpipers on the Clyst from the viewing platform and an Osprey perched on a post. I was surprised to see four Avocets at Bowling Green amongst the hundreds of other waders. Nice to see Steve Lister out birding in Devon. Roger
Jon Turner
Well-known member
A quick visit to Bradiford reserve this afternoon and I was lucky enough to have a brief view of the Spotted Crake. You can view the muddy area from the verge of the small car park to the left of the 5-bar gate. I'll try to get on the reserve soon and reduce the height of the vegetation to improve visibility. Trouble is, I'm off to Cornwall for a few days now....
Jon
Jon
Roy C
Occasional bird snapper
Good to know it is still there Jon. I, along with several others spent hours looking from the same spot last week without success. Think I may pop down this evening to see if I can catch a glimpse.
edit: stayed for about an hour but it did not show - maybe next time!
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