Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[KarenWoolley]

Along the River Coly today I saw a flock of 11 Siskin, I was just lining up a nice shot of a superb male when my batteries went!! They seem to be around most days though, so no doubt I'll have another try soon. Also a Green Sandpiper by Ratshole Gate.

 

[Steve Waite]

Only managed one sweep of the river this morning - doing lots of bird report stuff at the moment! Highlight was this adult Med Gull - different to yesterdays adult.

 

[Simon and Sue Wakely]

Evening All,

Such a gloomy morning, we didn't really do a lot of birdwatching, just had an occasional look up the garden. Due to the poor light levels, all birds were just silhouettes.

Around 10:45 this morning, two birds flew over, with pictures as good as we could get below. Could anybody help us identify what we've just seen? It appears to be of the Hirundinidae family, but the species is not so easily confirmed, we've had several ideas, but none have been conclusive. If it's what we currently suspect it is, it's exceptionally rare for this time of year.

Happy Birding,
Simon & Sue Wakely. :t:

 

[Gavin Haig]

Around 10:45 this morning, two birds flew over, with pictures as good as we could get below. Could anybody help us identify what we've just seen? It appears to be of the Hirundinidae family, but the species is not so easily confirmed, we've had several ideas, but none have been conclusive. If it's what we currently suspect it is, it's exceptionally rare for this time of year.

Look good for House Martins - an excellent record for December (don't think I've ever seen any later than November personally). Well done for getting photos.

If Whitford was in Mexico then I would be guessing Tree Swallow, but I don't think even the Backwater could pull off that stunt..........|=)|

 

[Roger Boswell]

Very blustery on the Cobb and the rough seas forced the Purple Sandpipers (14) to shelter in the topmost holes - allowing you to get within 6ft. Those lower down were quite often scattered by the waves.

When the sun came out I realised why they are 'purple'.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Quite impressive sea again this morning, with a strongish SW churning it up a bit. An hour and a quarter from 08:15 was quite busy enough to fend off boredom: 95 auk sp. (all the close ones were Razorbills - haven't seen a definite Guillemot for nearly 3 weeks now), 64 Gannets (3E) and 50 Kittiwakes comprised the humdrum stuff, with a surprising 5 Great Northern Divers, single Red-throated Diver (E), 3 Brents and a Great Crested Grebe providing the interest.

Quite a few of the Kitts were pretty close (for Seaton, ie. <4 miles), and I kept expecting a Little Gull to show up at any second. It didn't happen, but that's my prediction for the next few days - be nice to see some Little Gull movement come off this weather.....

A few of us then attended a meeting to discuss the 2007 Axe Estuary and Seaton Bay Bird Report. Highly productive. Orson Welles reckoned last year's was 'probably the best Bird Report in the world' - which was very perceptive of him - so we have a tough act to follow. Several improvements are in the pipeline. Watch this space.

 

[KarenWoolley]

A seawatch this morning from 9.00 started quite slowly with a few Gannets and Kittiwakes, and after being interrupted by two heavy squalls in quick succession I was about to give up. I'm glad I didn't though because at 9.51 a juvenile Pomarine Skua flew past. It was reasonably close and I watched it for several minutes as it made it's way steadily west. It looked really like the one on the Portland website, with quite a prominent blunt tail projection and little if any contrast between the inner underwing and body. I could clearly see the 'double' lower light wing patch. A really good view for my first Juvenile Pom. It certainly made my day.|=)|

Total birds counted from 9.00 - 10.30: (All west unless stated otherwise)

Gannet 81, Fulmar 7, ( 4 lingered around Beer Head), Kittiwake 19, auk Sp. 14, Razorbill 7, ( + one on sea) Brent Goose 3, Pomarine Skua 1 ( at 9.51 ) Common Scoter 2, (plus 4 east) and a Red-throated Diver flew west then east and finally landed on the sea.

Whilst walking the dog on the beach at lunchtime I saw another (or the same) RTD very close in, again it then landed on the sea but I couldn't find it!!

 

[Ranger James]

Patch Photos 2007

Roger, what a shame the cobb isn't in the Bird Report formal patch, otherwise 'd love to use your purple sandpiper photos in the publication!

On that note, could all you excellent photographers, digiscopers and point-and-clickers please send me any photos taken on "the patch" from this last year (2007) for consideration for the 2007 Axe Estuary and Seaton Bay Bird Report. This auspicious publication is being prepared again and we are looking to include all the best birds, and best bird photos from 2007 within the report.

It doesn't have to be a rarity, a special shot is worth considering.

Please email your best images, with details of where and, if possible, when the shot was taken, to jchubb"AT"eastdevon.gov.uk

Thanks!

Karen - Gavin has passed a CDRom of your small res shots, so I will contact you down the line to get big files of the ones we want to use.

 

[KarenWoolley]

Karen - Gavin has passed a CDRom of your small res shots, so I will contact you down the line to get big files of the ones we want to use.

James -

The pics on that CD are as good as it gets I'm afraid, I know some are the resized images for web publication because I deleted the originals. The majority though are as big as they can be,(I have printed some nice A4 photos off some of them) if that's not big enough then I guess the report will not be featuring any of my pics this year! :-C

I did an hours seawatching this morning from the Yacht Club but didn't see anything out of the ordinary today!

 

[Steve Waite]

Cracking bird report meeting yesterday, 18 mince pies and 12 jam dougnuts.... half of them gone before the meeting had even started!!!!

Afterwards 16 Dunlin were on the estuary, I tried to eat them too but they flew off (I'm glad doughnuts dont have wings!!). Well done with the Pom Karen - the most Pom-tastic year ever for us, hope it's the same next year, plus a Long-tailed! (last years spring adult LTS still remains one of my all time backwater highlights, hey Gav?).

 

[KarenWoolley]

On the last couple of occasions whilst walking the dog in Morganhayes Woods I've been fortunate enough to see a small flock of Siskins and Goldfinches feeding in some birch trees near the trackway. So today, seeing as it was lashing it down most of the time, I thought I'd walk him there, both for a bit of shelter and to have a go at getting some pictures of the Siskins.

I wasn't very hopeful as the weather was particularly foul!!

When I arrived the Siskins were indeed in position in their favoured tree, but it just wouldn't stop raining. I decided to retreat into the trees until it stopped and tripped over some brambles falling on top of my scope! Luckily it was a soft landing (for the scope at least) straight into a bog. I can confirm that my scope is indeed water (and mud) proof!!!

Anyway, just before hypothermia took hold it eventually brightened up for a nanosecond or two and I was able to get a few decent shots, which I'm pretty pleased with under the circumstances, so mission accomplished! |=)|

Gale force southerlies tomorrow morning and storm force westerlies on Sunday, going to blow something good this way..... surely?!

 

[Simon and Sue Wakely]

Evening All,

Thanks to Phil and Gav for their confirmation of our Marten's. With bad light and such an unexpected sighting, anybody could be easily confused. Nonetheless we are delighted to get a picture and a decent record.

Here's the garden report today;
-A pair of green woodpeckers flying around the garden this morning and landing momentarily in the trees, they would not remain still for long, and a picture would not have been possible had I tried.
-All other usual garden suspect have been in view, nothing notably different to pick out, asides a lone peregrine falcon drifting distantly overhead.

And now the attached pictures, for your enjoyment;
-First two photos are of the same bird, the second snap showing it as our first visitor to our brand new feeder.

-The third photo is bath time for a particularly thankful female blackbird, gratefully pausing momentarily to allow a few shots.
-The last photo is today's quiz, the odd angle is what makes it difficult to figure out, especially in terms where legs are going, but have a go anyway.

Happy Birding,

Simon & Sue Wakely. :t:

 

[Gavin Haig]

.....last years spring adult LTS still remains one of my all time backwater highlights, hey Gav?

Not a bad moment, that! First time you witnessed my full-on 'Freddie Mercury with Air Guitar' impression, if I recall......

As many of you will know, right this minute there's a Great Blue Heron on Scilly. This hulking great American 'first for Britain' strode up to some innocent birder taking a short cut across Lower Moors this afternoon and tried to impale him for lunch. I have just noticed that my shrivelled old twitching gland is giving me a bit of grief. A few times recently the old scar tissue has played me up - the disgustingly gorgeous Pechora Pipit in Pembrokeshire was a bit troublesome......

A chilly, fruitless drenching at first light tomorrow will sort me out.

 

[Roger Boswell]

Karen, lovely images of the Siskins. I would love to see them, I haven't seen any for years.

A day late, but a thank you James for Fridays Meet the Birds at Seaton. Very mixed weather, but birds were there in abundance - both in numbers and variety; nothing outstanding, but a good variety.

The Kingfisher put in an appearance and a Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the feeder. 14 BT Godwits were on the scrape - and later in the estuary. Plenty of Shelducks, Shovelers, Wigeon, Curlews and Canada Geese on the scrape, with Little Grebes, Mallards and Moorhens. Also seen were Buzzard, Song Thrush, Common Sandpiper, Reed Bunting and the Egyptian Goose.

Not a good day for the Dippers on the Lim. 45mm of rain over the last 3 days has turned it into a torrent - couldn't even see their snorkels ...
Just 3 Purple Sandpiper hiding in the wall and another on the beach.

 

[Gavin Haig]

A chilly, fruitless drenching at first light tomorrow will sort me out.

Must be getting soft - I opted out of that particular folly....

Got out mid-afternoon and, thanks to a message from Bun, started at Beer Beach, where the male Black Redstart has reappeared. Very smart, if somewhat bedraggled in the grim weather. Next stop was Seaton Hole, where 3 Velvet and 17 Common Scoters were riding the waves. I think one of the Velvets is a young drake - it seemed to have a shadow of the bill pattern, and to have pretty much lost the pale patches on its head. At 14:15 a Brent Goose flew W.

I was intending to check the river next, but a call from James McC (who was just about to slip his bonds for an hour) had me checking the seafront instead - all his fantasizing about Grey Phalaropes etc got me going a bit. No phalaropes but, while I was scanning, Steve pulled up on his lunch break. He wound his window down and thrust out a fat hand clutching a paper bag - a ten-pack of chocolate doughnuts. There were 2 left!! I took one and bit into it. A huge gob of chocolate filling spurted all over my hand. The doughnut Jedi tutted and rolled his eyes.
"You are young, but you will learn", he said, nodding sagely, and headed off to check the river.

Before James turned up I glimpsed a very distant flock of 'things' struggling W against the strong wind, and fumbled in the boot for my scope. By the time I got it sorted out they were past 12 o'clock. I stupidly wasn't standing somewhere sheltered, but even through a slightly wind-buffeted scope I could see that they were dabbling ducks - long, pointy, spindly ones. No evidence of white wing patches (so apparently not Wigeon) and I kept seeing the odd white neck, which made me suspect I was looking at Pintail . The only thing that makes me a little hesitant is that there were around 50 of them - a VERY big flock for a Devon seawatch! I guess it could have been a mixed flock. That'll teach me to be so unprepared........

James turned up and we adjourned to the Yacht Club, where we enjoyed a good natter and 4 more Brents, plus a few Gannets and Kitts. Tomorrow, the biggy..........|=)|

 

[Steve Waite]

Next to nothing from me today, still sat here is disbelief at Gavins doughnut eating skills. Only ornithological highlight of the day was our first Blackcap of the winter in the garden - a female.

 

[KarenWoolley]

I managed a dry seawatch this morning from 8.00, only for 50 minutes though. There were lots of birds passing, mainly Gannets and Kittiwakes, and a few auks (including a definite Guillemot!), also 18 Fulmars and 2 Brents. That's it though! Well, apart from the Scoters dotted about on the sea. I could only see 8 Commons and 2 Velvets.

This afternoon I saw a Black Redstart at the Yacht Club again, probably the same one I saw almost 2 weeks ago, because I spoke to a resident of Trevelyan Road who told me it's been around for a fair while! It was certainly pretty elusive this afternoon. But true to form I managed to get a nice ultra-naff shot of it, try as it might to evade me!!!!:-O

 

[J M]

For the report boys... a Barn Owl at Lower Bruckland on Saturday (8th) evening.

 

[Steve Waite]

For the report boys... a Barn Owl at Lower Bruckland on Saturday (8th) evening.

Ta for that Jimmy!

Today seemed to be another rather duff day! Didn't get out till mid morning - when the estuary showing nothing of note. The second part of the day was better though, with Farway producing at least 4 Brambling (3 male and 1 fem) and in the Gull roost off Seaton Hole tonight an ok total of 4 Med Gulls (3 ads and 1 2nd wint). Lastly, a look along the estuary just prior to dark produced a respectable total of 39 Little Egrets, but no smaller yellow billed ones!

 

[KarenWoolley]

Ey up,
It were reet cold this morning so I put on all me best cold weather clobber and walked the dog from Seaton Hole to Beer and back. I didn't see much really, just the usual stuff. I took a couple of snaps of a Robin for my new 'seasonal' avatar, it was very obliging and insisted on displaying what it had had for breakfast!!

I had a little look along the estuary later, and call me bonkers but I counted the Black-headed Gulls (969) and hiding among them was a single Mediterranean Gull, an adult with hardly any mask, a real belter!! That was it though, It was far too cold for me (I'm getting nesh in me old age), so I went wom to mash!!

The most surprising sighting of the day was Steve, not surprising in itself I know, but I had a spot of bother recognising him at first because I couldn't spot that clinching ID feature - A bag of doughnuts, in fact, believe it or not, he wasn't eating anything!! :eek!: