Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[Steve Waite]

Brilliant!!! More seawatching today, and we finished off with a fantastic highlight!!!

05:40 – 7:00: 7 Great Northern Divers (all singles but for one pair, Ian M had 4 more later), 42 Gannet (5E), 14 Fulmar, 5 Manxies (1E), 44 Common Scoter (41E,3W), 7 Whimbrel (5W, 2 out), 3 Dunlin (in), 1 1st-summer Med Gull (blogging), 1 Kittiwake (E) and 3 Sandwich Terns.

15:20 – 16:50: 13 Gannet (4E), 5 Fulmar, 13 Manxies, 1 STORM PETREL (flew W at 16:45 – closer then yesterdays bird – it came immediately after a heavy rain shower….superb!), 4 ARCTIC SKUAS (all dark, 3E at 16:00 and 1 chasing Herring Gulls at 16:30), 7 Kittiwake and 5 Sandwich Terns (feeding in the bay). I did take five mins out of the seawatch to have a look on the river after some info from Nick (thanks mate), 110 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling (different to yesterdays) and 2 Ringed Plover were by the tram shed.

18:40 – 20:50: One HUGE MEGA highlight in the form of an adult ROSEATE TERN which flew west at 19:50. I’m sooooooooooooo glad Karen was stood next to me to enjoy it too (sorry to everyone else though!). I'd forgotten how stiking they are, and I don’t just mean the whiteness – the way it flew – amazing! And I still can’t actually believe how long its streamers were! It flew in to the decent sized feeding flock of Sandwich Terns which were hanging around, but unfortunately they didn’t tempt it to hang around itself. What a bird – totally unexpected!!! Ok…other birds seen include: 57 Gannets (8E), 23 Fulmar, 21 Manxies, 2 Oystercatchers, 20 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits (came through with 10 Whimbrel), 1 GREAT SKUA (my first this year, flew W at 19:40), 27 Kittiwakes and 40+ Sandwich Terns (all W but most stopping to feed). Also, part of the wader flock from the river earlier were flying up and down the beach, about 70 Dunlin in all – a nice sight.

WOW!!!! You may wonder why there was such a big gap between my first and second seawatch….I spent five and a half hours checking nest boxes in Holyford Woods – have to say, it is such a lovely place. Only other bits and bobs I’ve seen today include 2 1st-summer Med Gulls on river (next to the awesome wader flock) and the two Greylag Geese this afternoon back at Colyford.

 

[KarenWoolley]

Started the day with a sea watch with Ian from the Shelter, the highlight being 4 Great Northern Divers.

I was just heading into Seaton at 4 o’clockish when I got a text from Steve, he’d had 3 Arctic Skuas. I optimistically hastened down to the shelter where I completely missed Steve’s 4.30 Arctic Skua. At 4:45 he called me to say he had a Storm Petrel, as I was trying to get onto this the weather began to close in and I missed this one too!!. A downpour then ensued and I got soaked. I decided to retire home to lick my wounds.||


About 45 minutes later the weather cleared up, the sun came out and I simply couldn’t resist going back for another shot. Birds were moving through and after having seen several Kittiwakes, Sandwich Terns and Manxies. I looked up along the beach and noticed Steve was at the Spot On. I decided to go and join him and I’m VERY glad I did. Two more lifers were my reward. One a patch MEGA |=)|

The Great Skua was pretty distant and a brief view but the Roseate Tern,……….. well that was a real treat, very distinctive flight and WOW what a tail!! Fantastic!!

Made me forget the Stormies I’ve missed… .......Well, nearly!

 

[Steve Waite]

Late start for me today- and after a glance at the sea at 10:45, I wanted more! So I did a seawatch 12:00 – 14:50, with Bun, and after a while, Karen.

One absolute undoubtable highlight being a full spooned pale phased POMARINE SKUA west at 12:42 - what a way to see one, it was REALLY close in, miles closer than all the other seabirds we saw!! I picked it up flying head on, way to the east of us, flight was looking slow…..and then I saw the spoons sticking out the back!! I rang Karen; she was already on it passing the yacht club….she sounded quite pleased!! It came right in towards us, gained height in front of us (easily viewable with naked eye) and then headed off southwest. What a set of spoons it had!!!!! Really over the moon with it, a cracking bird, definitely my bird of the week!!! Other birds: 1 Diver sp. (glimpsed one coming in to land, prob GND), 48 Gannet (2E), 13 Fulmar, 22 Manxies, 2 Common Scoter, 11 Whimbrel, 1 Dunlin, 1 Common Gull, 4 Kittiwake (1E), 6 Sandwich Terns, 1 Commic Tern, 3 Guillemots and 2 Auk sp. Saw the seal again, it’s a Grey Seal – the Gulls were going mad about it! I also found out an extra benefit of seawatching from the Spot On Kiosk….a cheese burger and an ice cream…yummy!!!

Went for another seawatch – again joined by Bun and Karen, 16:40 – 18:25.

Skua tastic! At 17:20 a distant Bonxie flew west, then at 17:35, 2 lovely and close pale phased Arctic Skuas also few west….and then, blow me down, 5 minutes later I picked up 2 more pale Skuas coming west…POMS!!! Much further out than the earlier one, but great to see two together!!! Both had full set of spoons, wonderful, they are great birds!!! Also on this watch saw: 24 Gannet, 3 Fulmar, 8 Manxies, 23 Kittiwakes, 5 Sandwich Terns and 3 Auk sp…(of which one may well have been a patch mega….wait for Gav’s post…..). Also found another benefit of seawatching from Spot On....a nice cup of coffee.....

Haven’t seen any small waders on the river today, but there is a dodgy hybrid goose….and it is a weird one, it’s definitely part Barnacle, but as for the other parent I don’t know, it has bright orange legs and a brown belly!!!!??? Am really pleased with my Greylag photo – they were on the river this afternoon.

 

[bun]

What a fantastic way to see my first ever Pomarine Skua, couldn't quite believe it as it got closer and closer showing its fantastic "spoons"" cracking bird! Also super were the 2 pale phased Artic Skua and 2 more ( not as close as the first though sadly!) poms, shame the Bonxie was quite distant but not to worry still a really enjoyable seawatch......hope theres a lot more to come!

 

[KarenWoolley]

What a day!!!

I thought it would be difficult to surpass yesterday's Roseate Tern, but today did!

Firstly this morning, although I overslept and was a late arrival at the shelter I saw a Storm Petrel at last! A couple of brief views but still very pleasing.

Later while exercising the dog at the Yacht Club I couldn't resist a quick seawatch from the back of the car, I had my scope fixed on a distant tern which I was trying to identify when a huge bird came into view in my scope, It was dark..............it was white...............it was Yellow ............it was a POMARINE SKUA !!!!......... and It had spoons! POM I foolishly called out to no one! ......... After a short while my phone rang. It was Steve " Pom Skua" he called, I'm already on it I enthused. Fantastic bird and what a way to see a lifer. It was so close.|=)|

The Grey Seal was my first off the front for 5 years.

It doesn't get better than this I thought, but the great birds continued later in the day with another Great Skua, Two pale Arctic Skuas and two more Poms from the Spot On Kiosk.

I had to leave at 6:30 but not for long. I couldn't resist returning to the shelter, where I joined Gav and Ian M for an hour. No more Skuas though...... I guess that would have been greedy!

FANTASTIC DAY!

 

[Gavin Haig]

Gripping stuff.....

An early morning seawatch produced: Fulmar 28/1 (W/E), Gannet 48/16, Great Northern Diver 2, Kittiwake /1, Razorbill 7, Whimbrel 2, Med Gull 1 first-summer, plus another that came W, but drifted back E, Manxie 5, Sandwich Tern 14, Dunlin 8, Common Scoter 6, and a typically brief Storm Petrel.

On the river immediately after this were 3 first-summer Med Gulls - all unringed. Also the 2 Greylags and the hybrid Barnacle thing.

Part and parcel of birding is the truism that not everyone sees everything. We all know it, and we can do nothing about it. Yet it can be a real challenge to be entirely philosophical about it, to stoically shrug our shoulders and say 'never mind - there'll be another', when we are on the receiving end of a vicious grip. Yesterday I looked at my phone messages very late in the evening. Just the one. From Steve. Went something like:
'WOW!!! ROSEATE TERN!! Really close. STUNNING views!! What a TAIL!! What a BIRD!!'*
This afternoon I checked my texts - again, quite late, as I had been otherwise occupied for much of the day. Just the one. From Steve....
'WOW!!! Pale phase POM!!! So close you could count its eyelashes!! FULL SPOONS!! AWESOME!!! What a TAIL!! What a BIRD!!!'*
What Steve did NOT say ('cos he's a nice bloke and really does want everyone to see everything) was 'HA HA - You've missed this one TOO!! LOSER!!' Nevertheless, despite my mature years and associated...erm...wisdom, I experienced the familiar emotions of the newly gripped, or, more accurately, RE-gripped - none of them reflecting either wisdom or maturity!

So, what to do then? Get out there and get even? Well, that's what you might think if you were immature and foolish. So that's NOT what I thought, of course.....no, no.

An evening's seawatching seemed appropriate. I was at the shelter (later joined by Karen and Ian M) and Steve was at the 'Spot-On'. Steve maintains that this is a better vantage point, but we all know that the REAL reason for his choice is so that he is stationed further E than anyone else, thereby seeing the birds FIRST and racking up the Bonanza points. SO transparent. There are many thousands of reasons why the Spot-On is a poor choice - one of those reasons walks up to you every 10 seconds and goes "Wotcha looking at?" I hear that Bun is satisfying their curiosity by answering "Badgers".
I digress.
Even though Karen found the close-in Pom herself, from the yacht club (even further E than the Spot-On) apparently Steve is still claiming points because he was looking even furtherer E and saw it coming past Lyme Regis.
I digress some more.
Anyway - tonight's totals: Arctic Skua 3 (2 pale and a dark phase), auk sp. 6, Gannet 22/5, Fulmar 15, Kittiwake 45/1, Manxie 24/1, Whimbrel 39, Sandwich Tern 25+ feeding, Sanderling 15 and Dunlin 30. Along with the Arctic Skuas, the stand-out highlights were the 2 SUPERB Pom Skuas, another brief and distant Storm Petrel, and a Puffin - a local mega, and a patch tick for me. Must have flown right past Steve too.......|=)|


*Quotes subject to slight amount of journalistic licence

 

[Steve Waite]

Seven mentions in one post....flattered!

Spot on is miles better for a few reasons, but one HUGE down fall is every man, woman, child and living organism that passes asks "what are you looking at?". Our latest answer (apart from badgers) was mermaids....3 blondes and a ginger one on the first scan!!! Easiest reply though is to just mention a seal, that normally stops the questions as they squint to look for it.... Luckily though this isn't a regular problem as decent seawatching weather isn't decent 'going to the beach for a sun tan weather'!!!!

To be honest, I do really prefer Spot On for seawatching, and nothing to do with Gavs reason (I'd be here in an east wind too, when things pass east)! It is useless in a straight southerly (as is the shelter!), aslong as there is some east or west in the wind. Rain is a bit of a problem here too (as is the shelter), but there's normally space for one to keep dry.
I have always prefered seawatching from nearer sea level, find it easier to pick birds out, although I know that watching from a higher spot means you can see much further out (hence why I saw no Puffin today!). But many of the Skuas that pass here (incl the 3 Poms today) veer south west towards Beer Head before they get to the shelter, making them more distant from there.
It's also easier to see birds passing along the beach (waders do it all the time) and you can see birds coming in/off miles better too, especially if they are aiming for the river. Also any vis mig, e.g. if a Bee eater came calling over town, you'd have no chance from the shelter, but every chance from Spot On. AND of course, tea, coffee and hot dogs are just seconds away!!!

Bun saw the first Pom first anyway, he clocked it passing Dungeness about 2 days ago.

Gav apologies for the gripping texts, I will hide and ignore my natural enthusiasm and excitement and keep my texts as basic as can be from now on, e.g. "full spooned pale phased Pom west past - REALLY close in - AWESOME" to "Pom".

Back to work tomorrow.....

 

[Ppedro]

Seven mentions in one post....flattered!

Spot on is miles better for a few reasons, but one HUGE down fall is every man, woman, child and living organism that passes asks "what are you looking at?". Our latest answer (apart from badgers) was mermaids....3 blondes and a ginger one on the first scan!!! Easiest reply though is to just mention a seal, that normally stops the questions as they squint to look for it.... Luckily though this isn't a regular problem as decent seawatching weather isn't decent 'going to the beach for a sun tan weather'!!!!

Sounds like you've had some great seawatching there Steve and co. Brilliant. What you were saying about curious members of the public reminded me of an amusing incident I had at Torcross a few years ago. I was trying to be as obscure as possible behind the sea wall when i latched on to a fairly close and particularly large, even as they go, Basking Shark. As anyone will know who has seen one , they are impressive, on this view just one huge fin visible above the water.
Coming my way were two middle aged couples wiyh broad Brummy accents.
The conversation went something like.........
" somebody looking through a telescope, "
" wonder what he's looking at "
" why don't you ask him "

" what you looking at in your telescope"

" shark mate "

" ay, we've got a livewire comedian here, says he's looking at a shark "

" have a look mate ".

With this the bloke squinted into my scope then recoiled ( the fin was a scope filler ) . He rubbed his eye, looked in again and panicked.

" bloody hell, bloody hell, theres a bloody great shark out there, what about them people in that boat ( about 500 metres from the shark ) how can we warn them. Don't worry i said, they only feed about once a week, that one looks full. They were so panic stricken they did not give me a chance to explain they were harmless plankton feeders and went off in a mixture of worry and disbelieve. I bet they've never swam in Devon since.
As for mermaids, well Tom Hanks did fall for one !

Good luck, Perry

 

[Steve Waite]

Sounds like you've had some great seawatching there Steve and co. Brilliant. What you were saying about curious members of the public reminded me of an amusing incident I had at Torcross a few years ago. I was trying to be as obscure as possible behind the sea wall when i latched on to a fairly close and particularly large, even as they go, Basking Shark. As anyone will know who has seen one , they are impressive, on this view just one huge fin visible above the water.
Coming my way were two middle aged couples wiyh broad Brummy accents.
The conversation went something like.........
" somebody looking through a telescope, "
" wonder what he's looking at "
" why don't you ask him "

" what you looking at in your telescope"

" shark mate "

" ay, we've got a livewire comedian here, says he's looking at a shark "

" have a look mate ".

With this the bloke squinted into my scope then recoiled ( the fin was a scope filler ) . He rubbed his eye, looked in again and panicked.

" bloody hell, bloody hell, theres a bloody great shark out there, what about them people in that boat ( about 500 metres from the shark ) how can we warn them. Don't worry i said, they only feed about once a week, that one looks full. They were so panic stricken they did not give me a chance to explain they were harmless plankton feeders and went off in a mixture of worry and disbelieve. I bet they've never swam in Devon since.
As for mermaids, well Tom Hanks did fall for one !

Good luck, Perry

Nice story that one Perry - shark will have to be my next reply.... Yeah seawatching has been really enjoyable and rewarding thanks.

 

[bun]

Evening all, with the sea getting blanket coverage at the moment - i thought Beer Head might be worth a visit, was quite surprised to see quite a few birds around mostly common ones such as linnet, greenfinch, goldfinch, and chaffinches, but as i was walking through the sheepwalk i was quite pleased to see 2 spotted flycatchers, as i was just leaving the head and walking through the dell i spotted another one doing as its name suggests and catching flies....after this i thought id go and check Beer Quarry glad i did, highlight was after hearing alarm calls of some swallows a Hobby flew in from the west chasing a swallow without success, it then flew towards Beer Head.... other raptors seen were 2 Buzzard, 1 sparrowhawk and a kestrel- but the strangest sight was a pair of Moorhen with at least 2 chicks on the pond...other birds seen were Lesser whitethroat, chiffchaff and 4 male Bullfinch...after this i popped over seaton marshes to sucessfully twitch a whinchat, also saw a wheatear and heard a cetti,s singing...so all in all and considering the weather not a bad day really.

 

[Steve Waite]

Hello,

Horrible day at work!!! :C

Anyway, before I went in, had a ten minute glance at the sea (at 07:35). 5 Common Terns and a Gannet flew east, and a Great Norther Diver flew west....I sure wish I had more time!!!

After work, went for a look around the river, not much on show. After returning home for one of the best sunday roasts ever, I went down to Colyford Marsh....it rained and rained and rained....but then FINALLY cleared! The 2 Greylag and 2 Egyptian Geese were on the marsh (no dodgy hybrid today though), and a cracking male Greenland Wheatear was on the common, as big as they get - and as long-legged as they get I'm sure!!! There was a nice wader highlight too (not quite the Broad-billed Sand I was hoping for - but still time for that....), a Greenshank, a bit of a spring scarcity on the Axe, poor dull pici attached, also 16 Dunlin, 3 Whimbrel and a 1st-summer Med Gull. Also attached the view from Colyford birdhide.

This evening, had an unfortunate accident with a chocolate dougnut. As I was driving away from Colyford Common, the opened half-empty packet of choco dougnuts lying on the front passenger seat was just too tempting....took one bite, then another, but no chocolate...I turned it around and took a bite out of the other side...BAD MOVE! Chocolate everywhere, all down my jumper, on my trousers and on my car.....whoops.....

 

[Gavin Haig]

Nice one Steve! 'Doughnut Consumption Without Due Care and Attention' - that's a fixed penalty and 3 points if caught in the act.

An afternoon visit to Seaton Marshes produced a drake Shoveler, a Wheatear, and a female Whinchat (my first this year).

A seawatch this evening was rather quiet, to say the least, and the highlight was the first bird I saw as I sat down at 17:15. Just lining up the scope and a distant skua immediately comes into focus. It's already straight out and going slightly away, plus I need to zoom up immediately, AND track it, etc. Fumble, fumble. Good thing it turned out to be a pale phase Arctic - anything scarcer and I would have been kicking myself for almost totally messing it up......

 

[KarenWoolley]

With the northerly wind and pretty flat sea today, I decided to chance it and do NO seawatching!! Was I wrong? I didn't have any time for birding until this evening anyway.

I popped down to Colyford Common for an hour, there weren't many birds around but the evening sunshine was very nice |=)|.

My main motivation for the visit however, was to have a go at digiscoping with a new camera I've had for several weeks and haven't got around to trying with my scope yet. The Greylag Geese and the 'Weird' Goose were on the marsh, but very distant. I decided to have a crack at it anyway.
One picture shows the Greylags running away from 3 Buzzards which were circling low over the marsh. The others are attempts at capturing the 'weird' goose (just about managed to get the orange legs in). They're a bit dodgy, but are my first ever attempts. I should be able to improve with practice, hopefully on a nice Hoopoe!!?

 

[Mark]

Trip down memory lane

Right boys and girls...can you answer the following question ? and perhaps give you something to do tomorrow by repeating history...

what rarity did Phil find exactly 10 years ago tomorrow evening on your beloved patch.... ? (i'll give you a clue ..there's one in the country at the moment).

 

[Gavin Haig]

Right boys and girls...can you answer the following question ? and perhaps give you something to do tomorrow by repeating history...

what rarity did Phil find exactly 10 years ago tomorrow evening on your beloved patch.... ? (i'll give you a clue ..there's one in the country at the moment).

Now, a Squacco Heron would make a very pleasant diversion!

 

[Simon Wakely]

Hi All, Farm Gate am stumped by a Goose took a few snaps still we are none wiser. Saw it agian 8pm Steve drove past on the axe straight tried to flag him down, we turned round to see if he was at the gate no. Wish we knew some birders numbers we only know Phils. Happy Birding.

 

[Mark]

Now, a Squacco Heron would make a very pleasant diversion!

well done Gavin, did you know or did you have to look it up?...either way I bet you wish it was on your Axe list !!

 

[Terry Smith]

Simon,

Could you not post your strange goose pics on here, and we can have a look at them?

It's not the Barnacle/Canada/Greylag hybrid then?:eek!:

Terry

PS the Squacco is on MY Axe list!! God, was it really 10 years ago? I suddenly feel very old!

 

[Steve Waite]

Hi all! Karen - I can see we will be having some cracking photos from you, that set up really works.

Woke up early and in the NW winds I though let's have a look at the sea....was I mad? Well, no not really, I did 05:50 - 06:40. 4 Great Northern Divers (west), 54 Gannets (4E - probably the highest Gannet/hour rate I've seen this year), 2 Kittiwakes (1E), 5 Sandwich Terns and 2 seperate Common Sandpipers flew west along the beach.

Then spent most of the day ringing on Colyford Common - despite the wind! Caught another fresh Cetti's, which is interesting, but apart from that just one Sedge Wabler and 5 Reed Warblers. What is AMAZING is that 3 of the Reed Warblers were re-traps, all birds previously rung at this site...probably caught in the very same net! Here are the brief details:
"The retrapped Reed Warblers included two ringed on 20th June and 15th August 2005 and were not retrapped last year and one ringed on 9th June 2006. All ringed as adults"
So two of them have flown to Africa and back twice since we first netted them, and the third just once....how AMAZING is that???!!! Birds are so cool!!!

Also spent a few hours out this evening, 2 Sanderling flew in/off and rested on the beach briefly before being flushed by a dog and flying straight back out again....and that was about it!!! Had a quick flick through the Seaton hide log book...bit gripped to read about a drake Garganey that was on the Borrow Pit ALL DAY on the 3rd May!!!

Mark - I went for a walk around the Borrow Pit this evening, I'd just walked through the gate and could see a white-looking small heron/egret-thing sat on a small tree on the opposite side of the pond....I haven't seen a Little Egret sat on a tree around here since the winter, so I thought to myself, it just must be a Squacco....it was a Little Egret.

 

[Gavin Haig]

well done Gavin, did you know or did you have to look it up?...either way I bet you wish it was on your Axe list !!

Hello Mark. I did know the species, but didn't post until I had checked the date, just to make sure! It's one of several Axe grippers that Phil has notched up over the years, but a likely candidate for a reappearance (I hope!). Less likely to reprise in the next week or two are Chimney Swift (1999), Western Sandpiper (1973 - any of you ancient enough to have seen that one?), or Nutcracker (1968)!!

Interesting about the Reed Warblers, Steve - they must like the Axe as much as we do....|=)|

When this thread began Steve had just started digiscoping. Now there are four of us (Steve, Karen, Simon and me), plus Roger with his proper camera, and Bob with his (though we can't expect any gull shots, eh Bob?!! ). Lots of lovely pics on here now. Quite a few of the goodies are getting 'captured'. Long may it continue.