Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[Kev Rylands]

This is the only tedious and less enjoyable bit of year listing in my eyes, the tricky pain in the arse species which are probably there but just SO hard to find! They can also require lots of walking and a fair share of early mornings!

Or is it that the are so hard to find, because they are no longer there?

If you find one it will be worth it in the end, especially so when you see 'your' square in the atlas :t:

www.bto.org/birdatlas/

Go on backwater peeps, you know it makes sense!

Cheers
Kev

 

[KarenWoolley]

Suppression, I like it, I raise the odds of you winning the year list race :-O

Oooh! Thankyou Jos, I'm flattered!! :-O

Only bird of note I've seen today apart from the lovely sleepy Tawny Owl in them woodpeckless woods this morning, was from my kitchen window, yes, another one of them!! |=o| First time I've seen one near the Yacht Club since January 2nd though. I've posted a pic just to show you how exactly the same as all the others this one looks!!

 

[Gavin Haig]

I hear 12-bores can also be used to make tyres belonging to other year-listers go pop.

Suppression, I like it...

If only you lived here Jos! Your robust approach to the gentle art of year-listing would find a ready welcome....:t:

As soon as news broke of yesterday's lunchtime Firecrest in Jubilee Gardens (ie. after dark :C) I was making plans for the twitch. An overnight drive was hampered by a really good sleep, a lie-in, and a morning doing other stuff, so that I wound up arriving on site just before midday. I was very surprised to find no one else there for this mega! Even so, I staked out the favoured spot and gave it a good 9 minutes. Nowt. I scanned the beach for a nice Glaucous Gull to suppress. Nowt. Gutted, I reluctantly dragged myself away, having seen no birds of any worth at all. Jubilee Gardens will have to contain a Red-breasted Flycatcher before I'll ever set foot there again, the accursed place...

Undaunted, later in the day I was cheered by the thought that Steve was probably at work, and therefore ripe for a severe gripping off. I trotted down to the estuary to do the dirty deed. But it was not to be (not today, anyway |=)|) though there was some nice compensation in the shape of an excellent count of 10 Med Gulls - 9 adults and a 1st-winter. I don't think we've had double figures in January before, so perhaps our local record of 12 might be broken later this year? I never tire of Med Gulls - at least they never skulk in overgrown gardens.

Kev - I've never really been one for surveys and so on, happy that I was 'doing my bit' by sending records to the county recorder. That contribution alone consumes many hours. Nevertheless, encouraged by your prodding, I've registered on the BTO Atlas thing, only to find that the tetrads that I might have been interested in are spoken for already....

 

[Kev Rylands]

Kev - I've never really been one for surveys and so on, happy that I was 'doing my bit' by sending records to the county recorder. That contribution alone consumes many hours. Nevertheless, encouraged by your prodding, I've registered on the BTO Atlas thing, only to find that the tetrads that I might have been interested in are spoken for already....

Glad my prompting works sometimes

There is always the option of roving records if the tetrads are covered. The survey method only requires eight hours surveying over four years leaving plenty of scope for species to be missed. I have done over five hours in a square locally and still failed to find Starling let alone any small woodpeckers.

And re the sending in of records try BirdTrack, it has saved me hours of time and all records go to the county recorders whichever county you happen to have birded in :t:

Backwater year list c60, even I have had Cetti's...

 

[Steve Waite]

count of 10 Med Gulls - 9 adults and a 1st-winter. I don't think we've had double figures in January before, so perhaps our local record of 12 might be broken later this year?

I reckon we have over 12 at the moment, am sure the record will be broken for def within the next few days. A plea to ALL photographers - Gavin, Karen - can we get as many pics of adult Meds please, let's try and work out what the actual turn over is? I wonder if all of yesterdays seven were in todays ten....I very much doubt it!

Kev and Gav - Donald Campbell is doing all the tetrads around here, but yes there must be so much missed - all over the UK!

 

[Steve Waite]

Look what I've seen this morning....at last!!! Also two females, thanks Bun :t:

 

[Steve Waite]

Started the day surveying in Exeter (not BTO - Kev!): 12 Bramblings, 10 Reed Buntings, 7 Siskins and lots of Redwings some of the nice highlights in my 'area'.

On my return home came the text from Bun telling of the Black Red on Beer Beach, a trip here also produced a very distant feeding flock of Gulls/Gannets numbering well over 500. After this it was breakfast time!

I spent late morning and early afternoon near Pratt's Hill sky-scanning (maybe for an early Red Kite?). Nothing of note, just lots of Buzzards and 20+ Ravens with a couple of flyover Siskins and Skylarks. I wondered why I was kept getting bothered by gents in 4X4's saying "what are you doing?" and "that's not a camera is it?", then I realised that it had something to do with that constant barking noise! Along came a full blown fox hunt!!

A look along the river at 13:00 produced just four Med Gulls (3 ads, 1 1st-year) and then a look around the back lanes of Axmouth/Rousdon produced lots and lots of small birds, but no 'teluu-ing' short-tailed Larks! Last action of the day was a scan over the sea which revealed just the Velvet Scoter and a Red-throated Diver of note.

 

[Phil Abbott]

Kev ive sent some records in for the B.T.O atlas and i will keep sending them when i can get on the computer,im usually last in line with the kids homework,m.s.n and beebo ,i usually get half an hour a day,if that.Im going to have to buy myself a lap top.

 

[Kev Rylands]

Kev ive sent some records in for the B.T.O atlas and i will keep sending them when i can get on the computer,im usually last in line with the kids homework,m.s.n and beebo ,i usually get half an hour a day,if that.Im going to have to buy myself a lap top.

Thanks Phil - good to hear.

I had a similar problem with computer access - until I bought the wife a laptop. Somehow I got lumbered with the old clockwork pc

Cheers
Kev

 

[Roger Boswell]

Returning from a weekend with friends at Maldon - on the Blackwater - makes Seaton look positively birdless!!!! Arriving late a brownish island in the estuary turned out to be a solid mass of birds - possibly Dunlins; not just dozens but hundreds. I am looking forward to visiting Norfolk later this year.

Lovely bright day, but too bright to get any decent images of the Med Gulls. One I watched for ages seemed to like the wind behind it, making it look like a peacock. The flock then took flight but the Med Gull was in a tight bunch of others - and some distance away from the Seaton hide.

 

[Simon and Sue Wakely]

Evening All,

A brief to the river at noon was freezing. We managed to see 42 Dunlin, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, but were glad to get home.

In the garden there were 32 Siskins, and loads calling in the bushes opposite, which is perhaps a local garden record. :-O

Happy Birding,

Simon & Sue Wakely. :t:

 

[KarenWoolley]

Over the last week I've been stopping off briefly at Rousden Barns each morning on my way home from Axminster, hoping to see a Brambling. I hadn't been having much luck. Drastic action was called for and so this morning I made a gargantuan effort to see one! I did this by sitting in my car outside the barns for a whole hour and ten minutes!!! It worked though, Brambling (109) well and truly ticked.|=)|

I decided to take the dog for his walk in some woods near Colyton, where I was hoping to get another year-tick with Marsh Tit. I didn't. The dog flushed a couple of Woodcock though. These woods were very near to Heathayne Farm and so before getting back in the car I thought a quick look on the Coly wouldn't do any harm. I got a quick glimpse of a Dipper that the dog flushed from near the bridge, but then the peace was shattered, as I like Steve, was descended upon by the local hunt. Rex was in his element though and ran off to join in!! :eek!: It wasn't too long though until he realised which side his bread is buttered on and came charging back.

On the way back to Axminster later in the day I had time for a quick look on the river. I only saw 2 adult Med Gulls, 8 Blackwits and 28 Dunlin. I did a bit of digiscoping with a camera I've had for a while and have used for digiscoping once of twice, but haven't had much success with because I can't hold it firmly to the eyepiece. However, I have made an adapter out of Velcro roll ( normally used as cable ties) and gave it a go. I was quite pleased with the results, considering the low sun, so I've posted a couple (still not as easy to use as the NV3 though).

During the last hour of daylight I made a quick trip to Colyford Common in the hope of seeing a Water Pipit (I know they're there somewhere!). When I arrived at the hide and looked in the log book I saw that Ian M had seen 8 the previous day at 4:30. It was about that now and so I set off to the platform full of hope. I scanned over the marsh and the common but not a Water Pipit in sight, not one, in fact not a Pipit of any description - zip! I'm sure they hide from me! || I decided to wait until dark and see the Barn Owl again, which I did, it appeared over the reedbeds below the Farm Gate. I didn't see where it came from but it didn't appear to be from the west of the river as I didn't see it come past me! 16 Little Egrets passed on their way to roost and half a dozen Fieldfares went to roost in a bush just outside the hide. They were making a right racket!!

Piccies:

1) Blackwit (boring but posted as taken with different camera! )
2) One of the Med Gulls
3) "I'm coming back mum!"

 

[Steve Waite]

Bonaparte's.....not quite!

Roger - you nearly gave me a right heart attack!! It even required a call to Gav! Looks like a false alarm, in fact it is....but in these cropped versions maybe people can see my cause for concern!

 

[KarenWoolley]

Do you think this may be the same bird? - extreme right, I looked at this twice it appears to have black bill.

 

[Steve Waite]

I thought a check of the big Gulls on the river ten minutes before work would be a good idea, 'til I came across this thing! The worst thing in the world is having to leave a bird before you are 'happy with it', I wasn't happy with this thing! In bins I thought Yellow-legged, but I reckon it's a fourth-year argentatus Herring Gull....though why ISN'T it a YLG? (except for the apparent lack of yellow legs!). Not thought of this problem before, and here it is! These are the best shots....any offers from anyone please!!!

 

[KarenWoolley]

I could only see two adult Med Gulls on the estuary this afternoon. I had a go at digiscoping a Common Sandpiper that was on the near bank, I'm pleased with the result because I was too cold (and yes, idle) to get out of the car and I was holding the scope on my knee!!!

I went down to Colyford Common at lunchtime, but just as I was mounting the bottom step of the platform every bird on the marsh flew off!!! I had a quick scan for Pipits but again drew a blank. As I passed the hide on the way back, it looked warm and inviting after the cold exposed platform, so I popped in. After a few minutes I heard a PIPIT calling!! It plonked itself down next to the edge of the new scrape right outside the hide. I think it was a Water Pipit, though I'm not 100% sure. It was a uniform dull sandy brown above and had a strikingly white belly, wing bars and white tail sides. I took a few shots of it, can anyone confirm my ID?

 

[Terry Smith]

I thought a check of the big Gulls on the river ten minutes before work would be a good idea, 'til I came across this thing! The worst thing in the world is having to leave a bird before you are 'happy with it', I wasn't happy with this thing! In bins I thought Yellow-legged, but I reckon it's a fourth-year argentatus Herring Gull....though why ISN'T it a YLG? (except for the apparent lack of yellow legs!). Not thought of this problem before, and here it is! These are the best shots....any offers from anyone please!!!

Steve,

I agree with you - that is definitely a Scandinavian Herring Gull! They are at best big ugly buggers with a darker mantle, fierce expression and hefty bill, larger than Argenteus with dull pink legs at this time of year. YLG's are much nicer with YELLOW legs, white heads, and looking of a pleasant disposition at this time of year. Well done. Award yourself a B

Terry

 

[Steve Waite]

Thanks Terry.

Yeah - I just forgot they could be this obvious! The small white windows in primaries had me stumped at first too, until I realised it was not a full adult which may explain this. And yes - it was a big ugly b*****d!

Karen, that's a year tick for you! Last pic makes it look Rockit-like, but that's just the light - it's a lovely Water Pipit.

 

[Steve Waite]

Stood in a gateway near Southleigh for an hour this morning. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming against each other, a Green Woodpecker called loudly from the valley below, a beautiful sounding Mistle Thrush sang continuously, the occasional Redpoll and Siskin flew over, a large flock of Redwings perched in the trees beside me and three Sparrowhawks were displaying in the sky above alongside plenty of Buzzards and Ravens. What a pleasant morning.....and then it started to rain!

A look about the estuary and sea before this produced two Med Gulls and the Velvet Scoter, but little else.

Seriously though, we don't half live in a beautiful part of the world |=)|

 

[KarenWoolley]

Seriously though, we don't half live in a beautiful part of the world |=)|

Don't we just!!

Shame it's being spoilt by the presence of Argentatus and the like!!!

They are at best big ugly buggers

it was a big ugly b*****d!

Let's have less bashing of the 'aesthetically challenged' please, I'd prefer to call it striking!

I took the dog for a nice (mud free) stroll on the cliff path to Beer. I was about halfway along, near the horse fields, just about to descend towards Jubilee Gardens when I heard a familiar call, Firecrests!! I spotted them both, in the scrub on the cliff-side, they were almost halfway to Seaton! They may have abandoned the Gardens because again today there was lots of 'slashing and burning' going on in that private garden they usually 'hang out in'.

They weren't exactly in the easiest place to get to quickly, but nevertheless, I didn't 'suppress' them this time and sent out a few texts!!

On Beer beach I saw both female Black Redstarts, but no male again. I've attached a superb photo showing both of them together! You'll need your magnifying glasses mind! :-O

The Firecrests were still there on my way back about half an hour later, they'd moved a little closer to Beer though.