Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[Andrew]

Thank and thanks Gavin. For the reply and refinding the Egyptian Geese!

I am pretty sure these may be the only ones in Devon. I have only ever seen one and that was on the canal a few years ago. Very wild!

Gonna look up Boshill Cross on the map now.

Not quite fit yet but the appetite is back.

 

[devon.birder]

Thank and thanks Gavin. For the reply and refinding the Egyptian Geese!

I am pretty sure these may be the only ones in Devon. I have only ever seen one and that was on the canal a few years ago. Very wild!

Gonna look up Boshill Cross on the map now.

Not quite fit yet but the appetite is back.

Isn't there an albino Egyptian Goose knocking around Devon somewhere?. Roger

 

[Steve Waite]

Isn't there an albino Egyptian Goose knocking around Devon somewhere?. Roger

That might be the one we had visit us for two springs in a row, maybe 2001 and 2002, or something like that. An Egyptian Goose with a white head!! Quite a weird looking thing.....well they are anyway aren't they...

Haven't finsihed birding today so I will update later, but as things stand it won't be an exciting one!!!

 

[Phil Abbott]

I managed to catch up with the Egyptian Geese today also i had an hour sea watching between 4 and 5 this afternoon ,2 manxies west,also 1 Gannet/B],2 red throats, Thats 141 species recorded on our patch this year 132 for me.

 

[Phil Abbott]

hey steve 3 good ducks at Exminster now, American wigeon, Garganey,and ruddy duck,any one of those would do.

 

[Andrew]

I remembered I had seen three Egyptian Geese at Stoke Gabriel Mill Pond near Dartmouth. So I checked my records and that was in 2003. Apparently according to the Devon Bird Reports, these geese are frequent here and along the Dart estuary.

 

[Steve Waite]

So what did I see today....

Started the day at Beer Head, I ignored the windy part so stomped around the sheltered east section, fairly quite, but three singing male Blackcaps were nice to see/hear. Only other interest was three Meadow Pipits in off.

I looked over the flooded valley on four seperate occasions today, and saw nothing special on any of them - just the three Egyptian Geese. Infact the only other birds I saw of note at all today were 2 Swallows at Kilmington hawking along the Railway bank.

 

[Gavin Haig]

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!

Just finishing off me salmon fillet and salad when the mobile goes off. Tsk! Who's this then? Pause the video. It's Steve - sounding slightly panicky - "James has just had an Alpine Swift over the football ground!" What??!! Out of the door like a shot - even Sandra comes for this one - James is phoning as we go - it headed for the town. Drive slowly through town........LOOK! LOOK! There it is!! Pull in to car park, jump out, and...hang on a sec...there's TWO!! Phone the others......Phil gets one from the clocktower......Steve's not seen one yet...........then eventually Phil tracks them down - they're circling Fosseway Court, a block of flats down by the seafront......off we go - and there they are. Rela-a-a-a-x.

Absolutely amazing. Swooping low over the heads of oblivious Co-op shoppers and a handful of raving birders were two very stunning Alpine Swifts.

After a while they seemed to vanish, even though one, particularly, seemed to be trying to roost on the flats. We waited. Nothing. Eventually, chilled through in the biting wind (no coats grabbed in the hasty exit) Sandra and I left. But Steve phoned a little later to say that at least one had roosted on the flats. Excellent. Hope to see it again before breakfast tomorrow.

When I started this patch report I said something like "There were some exciting moments last year, and hopefully there would be some more" Erm....what can I say? Phil mentioned that it would be nice if we got a Night Heron in this influx.....we got one - he found it! Andrew mentioned that we should look out for Alpine Swift.....we got TWO! Would someone like to suggest some more stonking goodies please??!!

And so - to the mundane, average, patch-type stuff.....
The 3 Egyptian Geese are still up near Boshill Cross, and seawatching this morning and this evening produced a combined total of 15 Gannets, 10 Common Scoter, 24 Kittiwakes, 8 Sandwich Terns, 16 Manxies, 1 RTD and 12 Razorbills. A big highlight for me this morning was a gang of 7 Pale-bellied Brents W at 07:15, really close. My first Pale-bellieds here, but totally eclipsed by this evening's mayhem..............

 

[Andrew]

Hope they show in the morning. Thankfully a friend came to my rescue with an offer of an earlier lift.

Now go and find that Purple Heron!

 

[James McCarthy]

Mental!

That sums it up for me...mental! I still havent had a chance to apologise ot my elderly neighbor who I was helping dump his grass cuttings in the skip when I saw the swift first....I think I muttered 'Ive got to go now' and legged it to the house to get my bins....better knock on his door in the morning.
Hope to see you lot again soon!
James

 

[Phil Abbott]

I spent approx 5 hours in the field today looking for migrants, seawatching twice, all the view points along the river twice, apart from 1 willow warbler nothing new, then while at home steve phones to say James has just had an Alpine swift over seaton Football club,30 seconds later im there,no sign, last seen heading for the town.gav and i head for the town within minutes we have not 1 but 2 alpine swifts giving crippling views and trying to roost ,after about 20 minutes one went missing probably roosted the second then roosted behind a vent on fosseway flats. see you all 2morrow

 

[Steve Waite]

Another quiet day, well for me anyway.... I went to work this morning feeling incredibly gripped.

Anyway after work I spent all my birding time along the river and at Seaton Marshes. The highlights were the three Egyptian Geese still, a good count of 27 Little Egret (all south of A3052) and 4 Sand Martin over Lower Bruckland Ponds.

It was good (and surprising) to see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth briefly in my front garden, the warm sunshine must have been too tempting for it.

It was at this point that everything changed

I had written this much when my mobile rang at 19:23 and I heard the words “Alpine Swift” and “football ground”. After some mad driving and several phone calls I was watching TWO Alpine Swifts flying low around a block of flats behind Rainbow (a shop in town). I can honestly say it’s the best birding sight I’ve seen in this area ever. Genuinely unbelievable. After several minutes of simply amazing views of the birds virtually flying around out heads, and seeing a few attempts from them to land on the side of the flats, they disappeared. After about five to ten minutes one returned and did indeed roost on the side of the flats. I was there until 20:00.

It’s now 22:30, and I still can’t believe what I’ve seen!!!!!! Surreal is the word!!!

 

[Phil Abbott]

Well what can you say, i spent nearly 3 hours this morning waiting for the Alpine swift to leave the roost,which it did closely followed by a second,both birds quickly disappeared a bit of an anti climax really after the previous evenings performance.Later on steve and i had a drive round checking out the local hotspots looking for migrants or hoping to catch up with the Swifts,Bruckland ponds was our last stop,as i walked over the bridge and into the field i looked up ,not 1 not 2 but THREE Alpine swifts hawking over the pond where they stayed for most of the day.And then once again this evening all 3 birds flying around fosseway flats trying to roost .Brilliant(WHATS NEXT)

 

[Andrew]

(WHATS NEXT)

I told you, Purple Heron on Wednesday!

 

[Gavin Haig]

After having to leave this morning before they got out of bed, spent a swiftless day due to other commitments. Ridiculously, started to feel a bit gripped when I heard there were three!!

This evening, however, absolutely crippling views! Over the main car park, initially, then over the Co-op car park and round the Fosseway Court flats. After several attempts 2 of them managed to go to roost here, but the other one gave up trying and mooched off to try elsewhere.........

Still finding it hard to grasp that I've been watching 3 Alpine Swifts over the town where I live - over the very Co-op that fills my occasional Rioja prescription.

Think some good pics may have been had today - if any BFers took some, please post one or two here. Didn't hear of lots else being seen - certainly the 3 Egyptian Geese and quite a few hirundines, but again, if you saw anything on our patch today, please post........cheers.

Nice to see you again Andrew, and all the other friendly faces - hope you had a good day. Long may it continue.......you lot having to come here I mean!

 

[Steve Waite]

As Phil has said, absolutly superb views of the THREE Alpine Swifts both at Lower Bruckland, but especially in town. They even started to call - an almost wader-like noise. Sensational. Two birds went to roost on the same flats as last night but the other disappeared elsewhere.

Spent many hours out today, alot more hirundines about. Several small flocks along the river, I would say I've seen c80 - 100 Sand Martin and c50 Swallow. Other summer migrants were two Wheatears at Seaton Marshes, singing Willow Warblers and Axmouth and at Lower Bruckland and plenty of singing Chiffchaffs. Whilst waiting for the Swifts to come out of roost this morning a few birds were moving west; 11 Wood Pigeon, 1 Rook and 2 Chaffinches as well as at least 2 Peregrines going backwards and forwards.

The only other birds of note were the 3 Egyptian Geese, performing well today for visiting birders.

The two pics attached; Jeremy McClements got the flight shot and the pic of it against the wall is mine, taken this evening.

 

[Ian.B]

Thanks to all the Seaton boys,
my first ever alpine Swift.
Standing in a cold and windy shop doorway was worth the long wait in the end although views were only brief, we should have hung around for a little longer, instead of dashing off to Plymouth for the Black Winged Stilt.

Ian

 

[James McCarthy]

Great weekend

Just to add to various posts...male Blackcap singing by the sewage plant, plenty of Sandy Terns offshore and try as I could, a female kestrel coming in off the sea at about 4, flying into seaton Hole....started with Hobby, the Cuckoo but had to settle for a Kestrel
Can't believe also how many times in a day I see Peregrine & Sparrowhawk here - you guys should go live in Kent for a couple of weeks (or years).
James

 

[Phil Abbott]

It was nice to fit a few faces to names Andrew and Ian B ,we hope to see you up here next week for something else. Also dont those torquay boys travel well, thats 5 times up here this year and its only april.

 

[Andrew]

On my way back to Seaton later to see the swifts again and try and nail those Egyptian Geese for once and all.

A few other target birds along the way too such as Darties at Aylesbeare.