Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (1 Viewer)

[Steve Waite]

As Gavin has said, Beer Head was brill this morning. I was ever so pleased (to say the least!) to re-loacte Gav's Wood Warbler, It took Ian and Gav another twenty mins or so till they caught up with it proper, so it is very elusive! Little to add to Gav's count, though I managed four Whitethroats and probably a few more Willow Warblers. The Turnstone and Ringed Plover have really got me thinking about wader potential here.

After this three hour stint up here I went along the river, at least 7 Dunlin and at Colyford Common, singles of both Wood and Green Sandpiper.

 

[James McCarthy]

15 Dunlin, bunch of Redshank, 4 Common Sand & a Greenshank flying around calling at Seaton Marsh this am...nicer tho were my first (2) Wheatear along the path. Really seems we have the nos. of small waders now to drag something in...here's hoping.

 

[KarenWoolley]

Everyone else seems to have missed these or just not mentioned them!l. On the river yesterday evening just before high tide were 4 Black-tailed godwits. Two opposite Coronation Corner and two further up visible from the farm gate.

 

[Gavin Haig]

......and finally, 1 Grey Plover E, at the head of a group of 3 Whimbrel, rather distant, and probably the ....erm.....sketchiest ID of the day, but it seems to have crept in anyway (does my list have any integrity at all???).....

Quote from a post back in April. Phil's been ribbing me about this slightly dodgy area of my list, so when he phoned this afternoon to tell me there was a real one in front of the Seaton hide, I had to go......and here is the ropily digiscoped proof. Must get some kind of adaptor and remote release....

Karen - your godwits just demonstrate the value of extra pairs of eyes looking!

Edit: almost forgot - Dunlin were up to 19, plus 2 Ringed Plover and 40+ Redshank in front of the hide.....it's all happening.....

 

[James McCarthy]

Very interesting 'ginger biscuit' colored Ruff from the Farm Gate at 10am... never remember seeing them this color, the ones in the far east are always pale.

 

[Steve Waite]

Little birding action for me today. The Ruff (a cracker!!!), ten Dunlin, three Green Sands and 6 Common Sands my totals for the river.

Will try and get up early tomorrow!

 

[bob hastie]

Slightly off patch but maybe heading this way, 2 greensands on private ground on a river to the north of Axminster at 8 p.m. today.

 

[James McCarthy]

Just to add....still Wood & Green Sand at Colyford last night.

 

[Steve Waite]

A couple looks at the river today produced the Ruff , twenty Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Green Sands and 5 Common Sands. Grippingly the Seaton Hide log book has 2 Curlew Sands written in for last night, along with 20 Dunlin, Common Sands, etc.... bummer!

 

[KarenWoolley]

At Colyford Common this morning were 4 Green sandpipers 1 wood sandpiper and the 4 kestrels. From the farm gate at 6 ish this evening were the ruff 2 water rails 4 common sandpipers 5 lapwings and a whimbrel.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Got a text from Phil this evening - "water in the scrape!" All we need now are some nice birds to go with our nice water. Even bigger tide tomorrow evening. We are SO overdue a scarce/rare wader. He he - we are SO spoiled!

Beer Head has worked its spell - pulls me like a magnet. Ambling around, staring into bushes is probably my favourite kind of birding (closely followed by staring at the sea, probably). Last two early mornings I've had it to myself. Yesterday the highlight was an addition to the Beer Head wader list - an invisible Wood Sandpiper, heading E. Back-up was provided by 13 Willow Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, 3 Rock Pipits and a Wheatear. This morning produced 38 Willow Warblers, 7 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Meadow Pipits over, plus single Whitethroat and Goldcrest. Nothing earth-shattering in that lot, I know, but very encouraging to see a changing cast each day, plus one of those Melodious Warblers is bound to make an error eventually and mistake Beer Head for Portland Bill!

.......Grippingly the Seaton Hide log book has 2 Curlew Sands written in for last night, along with 20 Dunlin, Common Sands, etc.... bummer!

Call me cynical, but I am not gripped. Why not? Coz I am a sceptical old cuss, and am only gripped by birds that I have actually missed . If you are reading this, and are the proud possessor of 2 Curlew Sands on your Aug 9 Seaton Marshes day list, good for you!!!! Can't help the fact that much joyless chasing of string over the years has shrivelled my credulity somewhat.......

 

[tereksora]

Nipped over this afternoon and eventually got your Wood Sand -thanks Phil,; nice to see you've got lots of water now,must pull in some good stuff for you boys. Apart from that, lots of gulls being flushed by 2 big black dogs so couldn't string a juv YLG I'm afraid!

 

[Steve Waite]

Nipped over this afternoon and eventually got your Wood Sand -thanks Phil,; nice to see you've got lots of water now,must pull in some good stuff for you boys.

Hi Brian, glad you scored with Woody. Saw him myself this morning. Apart from this, only highlight on river was a juv Med Gull - which have become alot scarcer since the July influx. Also a Whimbrel, few Dunlin, etc..

 

[Gavin Haig]

Major twitch first thing today! Rushed down to Colyford Common to see the Water-in-the-Scrape. Showed very well. Crippling views, in fact. Not a year tick, but haven't seen one for ages......

Drawn irresistably to Beer Head again this morning, where I had a very strange experience - more of which in a mo. Not a lot really, just 12 Willow Warblers, 2 Wheatears, 3 Whitethroats, 5 Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler. However, it's always a good place to keep your ears open, the relative silence allowing calls to be picked up pretty well. Whilst down the east side I heard something that absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Fairly distant, but, for the life of me it sounded exactly like a few seconds of churring Nightjar, complete with pitch change!!!! This was broad daylight, around 07:30. I waited - nothing. I strained my ears - nothing. I stomped all over the Head - nothing. Not even a mechanical noise that I could have mistaken for Nightjar. So - two questions: 1. Anyone heard migrant Nightjar churring in daylight? (I already know that the answer is "Of course not, you idiot!"), and 2. Am I finally going funny in the head? (I suspect the answer to this one is fairly predictable too). Also, because I am almost as much of a butterfly ignoramus as I am a dragonfly dolt, I failed to identify a big orange job that whizzed past me a couple of times. Views were actually not that clever, but it was a fritillary of some kind.......

A funny old morning really - twitching water and hearing things.

A little later I saw some proper birds - a Wood Sand and 2 Green Sands at Colyford Common.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Gavin, a couple of seasons ago I flushed a Nightjar, which having been disturbed did then land on a tree branch and begin to churr. Churred for some minutes before hawking off and resettling on the ground, then again silent. Alternativley, Grasshopper Warbler? Though would they still be singing? I do not know, but I suspect maybe

 

[Gavin Haig]

Gavin, a couple of seasons ago I flushed a Nightjar, which having been disturbed did then land on a tree branch and begin to churr. Churred for some minutes before hawking off and resettling on the ground, then again silent. Alternativley, Grasshopper Warbler? Though would they still be singing? I do not know, but I suspect maybe

Thanks for that Jos - it is just possible, then, that I may not be totally bonkers. Definitely not Gropper though........

 

[Andrew]

Gav, Walls are still on the wing and do look 'fritillarish', saw a few at Branscombe not a million miles from you last week. Could that be possible?

 

[JRE]

Is the Osprey still at Bowling Green? Going there with the RSPB local group on Monday. Reckon it'll still be around?

 

[JRE]

Is the Osprey still at Bowling Green? Going there with the RSPB local group on Monday. Reckon it'll still be around?

Sorry guys, out of place post. :-C Still like to know, though!

 

[chris w]

Is the Osprey still at Bowling Green? Going there with the RSPB local group on Monday. Reckon it'll still be around?

It has been seen this morning on the river. Wish you luck.