Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[Terry Smith]

1.Let's have less bashing of the 'aesthetically challenged' please, I'd prefer to call it striking!
2. they'd moved a little closer to Beer though.

1. Sorry Karen, but they ARE big ugly beggers!! :eek!:

2. Bit like me then, always moving closer to beer!! B

 

[Gavin Haig]

A Portion of Jam

I was a grateful recipient of Karen's text re the Firecrests, but I haven't forgiven them yet, so didn't visit Beer for more humiliation. Instead, I had a look along the estuary at lunch time and bumped into Steve grabbing a pre-work gull fix. Five adult Med Gulls were pleasant, as always, but I couldn't turn up anything rarer, so headed off to work....

Around a quarter to three I'm on a flat roof in Colyford, listening to the afternoon play on radio 4, when I'm suddenly conscious of the handful of Herring Gulls standing on adjacent roofs making a right din. Being thick, the penny doesn't drop and it's not until I'm back on terra firma that a voice goes "look at the sky, idiot!" I do. Drifting slowly SE, and probably over Colyford Marsh now, is a gangly-looking raptor being mobbed by a couple of corvids. This never happens to me, but even so I know what to do and SPRINT to the van for some bins. Thankfully the bird pauses and turns a slow circle before disappearing behind roof tops. A Red Kite! Brilliant! Despite a few phone calls I don't think anyone else caught it - I thought it may be heading towards Seaton, but it may easily have gone over the hills between Axmouth and Boshill Cross.

I do, of course, hope that it reappears over the weekend and everyone else adds it to their year-list...........yeah, right! B

A nice gripper for 107.........|=)|

 

[Phil Abbott]

Nice one Gav,Thanks for the call,it didnt come my way,another blocker to go with your Eider and B t diver.

 

[KarenWoolley]

Thanks for the call Gav, unfortunately I was halfway to Axminster.

See, even idlers like myself can't get onto everything!!

I've only ever seen one Red Kite, and that was 3 years ago now. Hopefully I'll see one this year! I went to the Farm Gate again this evening where a small crowd had gathered for the Barn Owl ,who kindly performed again, if only briefly.

Thanks to those who confirmed my Water Pipit ID yesterday, making my total 110. :t: I have no blockers yet and am seriously considering ticking my probable Goshawk!!!!

 

[Simon and Sue Wakely]

Evening all,

A pleasant moring in the garden this morning, enjoying our flock of Siskins. Unfortunatly, we've only one female brambling at the moment, Fingers crossed though...

Hope you enjoy our pictures.
Steve, prehaps the Green Woodpecker you heard was the one i took a picture of today in the garden.

Happy Birding
Simon and Sue:t:

 

[KarenWoolley]

I have no blockers yet and am seriously considering ticking my probable Goshawk!!!!

OK, Perhaps not!! I've had cold water poured on that one already, my probable Goshawk as gone the way of so many before it and been relegated to a corpulent Sparrowhawk! (o)<

 

[KarenWoolley]

Out this morning with Phil and Bun, I got a tick with Marsh Tit at last! (111). Other highlights, were at least 4 Bramblings at Stafford Cross and 5 Golden Plovers near the Three Horseshoes.

 

[bun]

Nope not a Jack Snipe, just a strange looking Dunlin..

 

[Phil Abbott]

Golden plover and jack snipe pulled back today so 113.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Will my probable Jack Snipe be poo-pooed too!!?? :-O

Of course! Personally I don't think it's a Jack Snipe, but that's neither here nor there. It just CAN'T be, because that would make it a year tick. Anyway, you don't REALLY want to tick some pixelated blur do you? Not when you can see a real one, in the flesh, at Kilmington Quarry? Like I did today. And Phil. And Ian. |=)|

Ah yes, just one of the highlights of a tick-packed day. After yesterday's jammy fly-over I thought I'd better find another gear and make some proper effort. That sentiment didn't quite stretch to having another go for the hateful Beer Firecrests, but I DID get up very early and try for owls. Little Owl took me half an hour or so, and Tawny fell a little later. With the two owls safely tucked away surely Jack Snipe would be a dead cert, especially as I was going to be the first on the marsh today. But the marsh was frozen - just one Snipe and a Water Rail. And 192 Curlew....

Brambling was becoming a bit of a bogey, but after lunch Karen texted directions that led me to one or two with some Chaffinches near Stafford Cross. :t: Year tick number 3. While I was there a Golden Plover flew over too. Next was the call from Phil, who kindly waited at Kilmington Quarry until Ian and I arrived. Jack Snipe - number 4. Being so close to the 'waste water treatment' works meant I could no longer put off adding Chiffchaff. Several were present, including 2 or 3 pale, sandy-grey jobs.

I aborted a plan to check the estuary gulls when an overwhelming urge to seawatch gripped me. I realised that I had never really had much of a go during the late afternoon of a cold winter's day. This was obviously the time that mixed flocks of rare grebes would choose to come past, nice and close, so I gave it a good hour. In reality one Red-throated Diver went E, and one Gannet and one Kittiwake lingered out in the bay, laughing alot. A few massively distant dots were obviously auks of some kind, so went into the notebook as Little Auks and Puffins in case I'm struggling later in the year. I took a fuzzy pic of a Black Guillemot which will be easily as convincing as Karen's 'Jack' Snipe, should I ever need it.....

I am now on 112, and finally a CONTENDER. With the leaders on 113(?) the pack is bunching.....

 

[KarenWoolley]

Not when you can see a real one, in the flesh, at Kilmington Quarry? Like I did today. And Phil. And Ian. |=)|

Next was the call from Phil, who kindly waited at Kilmington Quarry until Ian and I arrived. Jack Snipe number 4

The chance would have been a fine thing!!

CHEERS GUYS! :'D :'D That was kind of you :t:


I did a sea watch from the house this afternoon 16:00 - 16:30 and counted 21 Kittiwakes west and 3 east, one RTD and 263 Auk Sp. east and 37 west, and they were definitely all Puffins.

 

[Gavin Haig]

The chance would have been a fine thing!!

Oops.......|:||

Also suppressed today was this thinly disguised adult Ivory Gull lurking amongst the estuary dross (photo emailed to me this evening by elderly local, along with one of a plucked, trussed, stuffed goose of some sort on a baking tray - too gruesome for sensitive souls)

 

[Steve Waite]

Rough old day! Lots of wind, a bit of rain and some pretty impressive seas, so a perfect day for a decent Gull - hence spending all afternoon along the estuary! Had a few sweeps of the river late am, then again early pm - then a look at the sea before returning again to the river (joining Gav).

Late in the day, stood with Gav by the gate between the farm gate and Axmouth, while he's looking through his scope and I'm dreaming about chocolate a white-winger flies through his field of view. It lands on the water and there it is, an adult Iceland Gull - a huge one too, the biggest I've seen! Kindly it stayed for everyone to see, though I did have to disarm Gav as he reached for his arsenal! It was too dark for photos but here are a couple of video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQTYbWqCOok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6c1yCA3MtU

Otherwise I've seen a few Med Gulls (4 ads and a 1st-wint for me), 50+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a very oiled Kittiwake on the estuary. Here's a pic of the impressive sea....

EDIT: After spending all day moaning about the Long-billed Dowitcher which must have flown right past our estuary, I see it didn't! It's in fact worse, we are the middle of a Long-billed Dowitcher sandwich....bugger!

 

[Gavin Haig]

No suppression today! Smiles all round I think.....

After a very windy night I managed to get out for an hour this morning for a seawatch. VERY rough, plus a straight southerly, meant it was hard to view from anywhere without a buffeting. Quite a few Gannets, Kitts and auks went uncounted, but I only needed three fingers for the rest - 1 Balearic Shearwater and 2 Red-throated Divers. Phil latched on to a few Balearics that I couldn't pick up. Pretty hard going really.

Out again mid-afternoon, and didn't get further than the river which, despite being full, was well populated with gulls. Not much lower down, but plenty N of Coronation Corner, viewed from the first farm gate out of Axmouth. After 3 Meds and a bit of time Steve rolled up and joined me. We were just lamenting Steve's doughnut-less state, and the inevitable negative affect that would have on our birding when a spanking adult Iceland Gull sailed into my scope view from upriver and plonked down with the flock. After announcing its arrival my VERY next breath was spent telling Karen all about it. I hoped this might make amends for yesterday's oversight - for which there is a very logical explanation Karen! It was visible from Coronation Corner so Steve and I joined the merry throng there. I took a few extremely blurry pics from both vantage points, but as the light was appalling the shutter speed was as slow as 1/14 of a second. Amazingly, one photo came out rather well. A massive bonus was had when Phil called our attention to a small raptor zipping past us and across the river - a Merlin! A very handy year tick to unblock so quickly.....114 now! Like my previous 3 local Merlins it was a very brief and rapid silhouette. One day I shall see one well.

The final gull total for me included 6 or 7 adult Meds, and at least 60 Lesser Black-backed.

Two photos of the Iceland - the second included just because there is a Med in the same frame.....

EDIT - just seen your videos Steve. Nice one.

 

[Phil Abbott]

Just as you think its all over for another weekend, 5 mins after getting home after u12,s football at exmouth Gav phones "adult Iceland gull coronation corner" now if there wasnt half a bottle of red wine on this year listing i would of probably just ambled down,52 seconds later i was there shaving a whole sec off my previous best and watching the Iceland gull Year tick 114,and then pull back time ,before you could say merlin it was gone 115 luckily Bun and this years Mr jam also got onto it.

 

[bun]

Enjoyed the adult Iceland Gull very much, really smart bird, also the Merlin which was a bit of a bonus, them and yesterdays Golden Plovers puts me on... 112

 

[Steve Waite]

I'm on 114. I've sent myself a target, which is not to be more than ten behind the whole patch total at the end of each month.... We will have to see....

Here are my two best-worst pics of the Iceland!!! First one, like Gav - I've only posted because it also shows a Med Gull!!! And the second taken a million miles away from where it actually was - can you spot it?

 

[KarenWoolley]

Thanks for the call Gav! The Iceland Gull was lovely, first adult one I've seen.|=)| I couldn't stay long, but it was a brief and pleasant interlude in an otherwise awful day.....

 

[Gavin Haig]

The Iceland Gull was lovely, first adult one I've seen.|=)| .....

Despite having seen lots of Iceland Gulls over the years I was telling Steve earlier that this was possibly my first adult too. That set me thinking, so when I got home I dug out a couple of old notebooks and scoured through them. Sure enough, I had seen an adult before - Feb 10th 1987, Felixstowe, Suffolk. The reason I am bothering to post this piffling trivia is because it gives me an opportunity for a big, fat gloat - I had just travelled to the Suffolk coast after a morning spent enjoying 2 stonking male Great Bustards. Proper ones.

....which has nothing whatsoever to do with Backwater Birding. I know.

 

[Simon and Sue Wakely]

Evening All,

With such a horrible day it was nice to receive an e-mail from our eldest son. He informed us he snapped this beauty in Mortonhampstead last week. We're fairly sure he's telling porkies. But we have decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, but are keeping extra vigilance on the reserve.

Happy Birding,

Simon & Sue Wakely. :t: