Devon Birding (1 Viewer)

[The Kerreran]

The sun shone, the wind blew offshore, I've done my knee, so back to Topsham it was - this time catching the high tide for once..

Bowling Green;
much as on the 31st, though now 4 Pintail, 4 Snipe, and male Teal and Gadwall coming out of eclipse. 2 Buzzard instead of the Sparrowhawk, a 5th Moorhen chick on show, 10 Lapwing with no juv. visible, and even more Canadas, but far fewer Hirundines. With the tide high, there were ~150 Blackwit, with at least 2 Barwit, ~120 Curlew, ~20 Whimbrel, ~60 Redshank, 24 Little Egret, and an adult Knot. Standout bird honours went to a lovely juv. Osprey - it was sat on the derrick when I arrived, and after posing nicely, it eventually took off, flew up and down the Clyst a few times, then circled for altitude before heading downriver [a good 50 mainly Black-headed Gull in attendence]. A Stock Dove flew over, and there was no sign of the large Goldfinch band, but at least 5 kinds of dragonfly, and a vole were in the lane.

Clyst Platform;
~100 Dunlin, almost entirely juv., were on the Clyst mudbanks, with ~40 Whimbrel, the Blackwits Redshank Curlew and 3 of the Little Egrets from Bowling Green, 2 Greenshank, 2 Spotshank [briefly ranged along waterside, before flying towards Clyst-Exe confluence], but no sandpipers. 25 ad. Knot flew over downriver, and 7 juv. Knot walked down from upriver.

Congrats on the Ortolan!

 

[The Kerreran]

Yup, me again!

Bowcombe Creek;
Ruff [m juv.], 4 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 2 Curlew [m], Whimbrel, 2 Buzzard [1 juv.], Mediterranean Gull [1w, with Black-headed Gulls], 19 Canada, 7 Mallard, Little Egret, 5+ Swallow [juv.]

West Charleton Marsh;
~500 Black-headed Gull [resting in bay and following tractor], Mediterranean Gull [ad., in bay with Black-headed], 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot [ad.], [[Godwits and Knot together, over N]], 22 Little Egret, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 6 Ringed Plover, 17 Dunlin [mostly juv.], 24 Dunlin [over N], Yellow Wagtail [over S], Wren [juv.], Grey Heron, Buzzard [ad., as Bowcombe], 20 Cormorant [17 on Saltstone, 3 came into bay]

The sun shone. A lot. The Ruff was glorious, and the Greenshank and Comsands were on good form too.

 

[Groucho]

Falcon

Hey guys,

I just saw an extremely large falcon heading NW over Kingsbridge. I'm not an expert by any means and I don't want to hazard a guess at what it was but it was at least as big as a buzzard (which are two a penny) and I'm pretty sure it was a falcon of some kind (flat wing trailing edge, v shaped front). It was being mobbed by rooks and house martins but was thoroughly unconcerned.

The only other large BoP round here I know of is the Osprey at Charleton, but it didn't have fingers so I don't think it was that...

Any ideas?

 

[Groucho]

Hey guys,

I just saw an extremely large falcon heading NW over Kingsbridge. I'm not an expert by any means and I don't want to hazard a guess at what it was but it was at least as big as a buzzard (which are two a penny) and I'm pretty sure it was a falcon of some kind (flat wing trailing edge, v shaped front). It was being mobbed by rooks and house martins but was thoroughly unconcerned.

The only other large BoP round here I know of is the Osprey at Charleton, but it didn't have fingers so I don't think it was that...

Any ideas?

Actually, looking in google it may well have been an Osprey, it seems it doesn't always fly with its fingers out.

 

[The Kerreran]

At Bowling Green yet again, and once more plenty of birds - though mostly Canadas! They seem to be multiplying like bacteria....
On the rising to high tide, 200+ Blackwit, 200+ Curlew, 50+ Wigeon [flying in], 6+ Barwit, 7 Greenshank, ~10 Redshank, 4 Snipe, 2 Whimbrel, 6+ Lapwing. Good numbers of Teal, Wigeon, Shovelor, 16 Pintail, and several Gadwall, many now coming out of eclipse, were present, with 5 Little Grebe [1 confirmed juv.], 12 Little Egret, a Tufted Duck [m. eclipse], and 15+ Greylag. The surprise of my visit were 2 Red-legged Partridge, flying over from the north and angling west.

The big news was the Great White Egret - seen to alight for a couple of minutes before noon, before flying high west. Not by me alas! :-C Exminster had been checked, so I thought of Powderham as a detour on the way home [plus chance of Osprey]. Shortly after I arrived a heron-sized white bird took off away from me.. Cue near heart failure before it turned and showed off its long straight swan neck............:frog: There were a dozen Little Egrets, the usual geese, but nowt else but deer. Ah well, always next time.

 

[The Kerreran]

Yeah me again..
Having been with the folks to Beer Quarry Caves [great place, and I saw a bat! :-O ] it took little persuasion to have a picnic lunch at Coronation Corner, Axmouth.
Lovely Kingfisher comes whizzing downriver, before hovering 4' above the water like a hummingbird, then diving for teeny fish, then landing on the mud. After pulling this stunt, it zipped back upriver, then a few minutes later came back and did it again. A sudden tension in the gulls [though they didn't all go up] heralded a juv. Peregrine, which made two flypasts, but didn't go for anything. Lots of Herring, Black-headed, and Great Black-backed Gull, plus 2 probable 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull, about 40 Dunlin, 6 Blackwit, 2 Knot, 7 Oystercatcher, plus Redshank, Little Egrets, Cormorants, and Curlew [though no Whimbrel]. Just after 2pm, down comes what I'd been hoping for - the juv. Osprey whose pictures grace the Backwater pages. After several passes and no luck it disappeared back upriver. First Osprey for my parents, and great views to boot! :t:

The wind blowing, we headed upriver ourselves, pausing at the Farm Gate - possible on the Osprey in an oak, and an odd Buzzard with white spots on the backs of its hands. Then on to Colyford Common.
The scrape was pretty quiet - tide rising, but during a 4 hour stay [fortified by that staple of the watch-and-wait, coffee ]there was still plenty to watch; Goldfinch by the lane on the way down, and a Willow Warbler there going back, at least a dozen Hirundines, mostly Swallow, over the valley, 10 Curlew, 60 assorted Corvids, mostly Rooks, 5 Grey Heron [at least 2 of which were juv.s], 9 Stock Dove, 3 Blackwit, 5 Greenshank, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel [f], 1 Redshank, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Wigeon, 1 Comon Sand, 1 Wood Sand [looking quite Green-ish until it finally called and stretched its wings], 3 Teal, 7 Little Egret, and the recurrence of the Osprey! It fished again between the hide and Coronation Corner, flying upriver at 3-25 with a fish and on to a dead oak beyond the main road [but fortunately in sight] where it stayed until a little after 5-00 before making two more attempts to fish, each time being mercilessly harrassed back to its tree by a pair of Rooks [with assists by gulls and crows]. At some point it lost a tail feather [second in from left] - it had a full set when seen from Axmouth. Those Rooks are vicious...

All in all, a very enjoyable day. |=)|

 

[da2m]

cracking Osprey on the teign at the mo. it's been around for nearly 2 weeks now!

 

[The Kerreran]

Being banned from long walks by the doc, I figured "Well, its not very far to Prawle from the car park, is it?" Cue 6 hours sat down resting my knee, scanning the sea, and hoping I'd get more than Herring Gulls, Shags, and the inevitable Fulmar. I did have some faint hopes, with the wind heading more to the east, and a good sea breeze to be expected, with maybe even some heavy haze / mist in the Channel, and some good skua [and Great Shear] passage reported 'upstream'.
How did I do? Oh boy......
En route - Buzzard [sat on post, Berry Pomeroy road], ~80 House Martin [T-junction N of Coleridge House - many in road], ~40 Swallow [E. Prawle]
Prawle, 1215-1820. Sunshine, NE-ENE wind - a few small white horses on sea, very hazy - horizon obscured, low tide approx. 1305.
3 Goldfinch, 4 Stonechat, 2 Oystercatcher, 217 Gannet [179 W, all but 3 3rd winter or older], 7 Fulmar [2 W], 24 Mepit [19 out to sea], 5 Yellow Wag, 2 Common Tern [W], 2 Arctic Tern [ad. W, juv. came W, paused to fish, went back E], 2 Sparrowhawk [f hunting point, m over car park], 3 Manxie [W], Arctic Skua [pale W], Long-tailed Skua [pale W], 2+ Common Dolphin, 19 House Martin [over car park, pm], probable Eleonora's Falcon [dark W]*

*I'll tell it as I saw it. Aquired with bins at about 1350, very low over the sea, near head-on at first, got my scope on it and thought "THAT's not a Gannet!", flight seemed almost shearwater-like [had had one Manxie by then - it had flapped almost all the way past with no shears], shallow beats with wings not lifted very high, but not stiff like Manx, but more fluid, more like Balearic maybe. Dark brown back in the sunlight, then got pointed wingtip, thought maybe Sooty but proportions wrong as it closed, and flight action definitely more skua-like, then got decent side view. Falcon! [Hadn't occurred to me - I'd never seen a falcon fly that low over the sea when not actively chasing something] Dark falcon, not small either, long thin wings and tail, then it suddenly climbed to almost my level and hawked twice at insects without perceptably changing course laterally [I'm assuming craneflies - there were a few about and it was then in the lee of the Point] - yellow legs, leg feathering in the strong light a rich ever so slightly reddish dark chocolate brown, no white on the head, primaries seemed paler underneath, but my eyes were on the head and legs as it grabbed that insect - wow! It had caught on the second hawk, ate its catch very quickly, and kept going west, its speed and frequently changing height meant I couldn't keep my scope on it without moving. Through bins it was heading towards mouth of Kingsbridge estuary, reaquired with scope until it circled for altitude and lost it heading rapidly towards Bolt Head area - tail when spread was fairly finely barred, no dark terminal band, bars only stood out with light behind them.
That was a long paragraph..... I can't think of anything else it could have been, but I'm rather tired and it is verrrrry late.

 

[JRE]

Dragged myself out if bed early this morning to have a look round my patch. Very little going on, 40+ Swallows and House Martins, 31 Meadow Pipits over S.W., 14 Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. More on my blog.

 

[Mark]

So, that's 2 years running that Spoonbills have turned up on the River Exe and then relocated to North Devon..Last year the flock of 16 at Powderham on 9th October were then seen on the River Taw the next day joining the 2 that were already there and now this week it looks like the 3 at Dawlish Warren Friday and early Saturday morning have also turned up at Islay today..interesting stuff !!

 

[Roy C]

So, that's 2 years running that Spoonbills have turned up on the River Exe and then relocated to North Devon..Last year the flock of 16 at Powderham on 9th October were then seen on the River Taw the next day joining the 2 that were already there and now this week it looks like the 3 at Dawlish Warren Friday and early Saturday morning have also turned up at Islay today..interesting stuff !!

Thanks for the tip Mark - will be popping down to Isley Marsh tomorrow (only 3 miles from me) to see if I can get some snaps.

 

[Kev Rylands]

Roy if you see any birds at Isley remember to check for colour rings, this will prove if they are the birds from the warren.

I think all other ringed Spoonbills in Devon have come from Holland. It is still not confirmed but I think these three came from Spain. Devon gets more Spoonbills - others get White-rumped Swift and Booted Eagle!

 

[Gavin Haig]

Devon gets more Spoonbills - others get White-rumped Swift and Booted Eagle!

The latter apparently 'landed at Seaton' according to Birdguides - don't think anyone noticed it.....

 

[JRE]

Spent a great morning at Slapton with Nick, AJ et al observing the ringing. Over 3 hours we caught:

Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Blackcap
Grasshopper Warbler
Wren
Robin
Dunnock
Swallow
Blue Tit
Great Tit

Believe it or not, Gropper was a lifer eek!. My biggest bogey bird finally ticked off...

A brilliant morning, many thanks guys.
Jyothi

 

[Mark]

Excellant sea watching at Hopes Nose today between 11.30 and 14.35. The highlight being 2 juv Sabine's Gull together just after midday which went straight through (and at the time of writing haven't yet gone by Berry Head),so are presumably sheltering somewhere in Torbay. A total of 4 Sooty Shearwaters (an excellant count for Hopes Nose) at 11.50, 13.15, 13.40 and 14.00, (the bird at 13.40 was on view for nearly 10 minutes, initially going north but eventually going south very close in giving stunning views). 3 Balearic Shears at 11.45, 12.50 and 13.30, 6 Arctic Skua's including 2 pale phase), in 3 lots of 2 at 11.45, 12.00 and 12.45, 4 Bonxies at 11.38, 13.20, 13.45 and 14.15, 2 Manxies at 14.25, 3 Common Terns including 1 loosely with the 2 Sabine's. Interestingly probably the same Common Tern was seen off Berry Head at 12.50. Other bits included a Swallow in off, 9 Common Scoters, 2 Turnstones flying south and landing on Lead Stone and a tail less Rock Pipit which kept me company for 30 minutes about half a yard away !

 

[Andrew]

After a two hour wait, the Temminck's Stint finally showed up on the scrape at Colyford Common at 2:15pm this afternoon.

 

[The Kerreran]

1100 - 1730 seawatch at Prawle. [Spring low tide ~1210, weather - wind trending NNE early, then backing towards NNW and strengthening later, sunshine with squally showers];

1 juv. Sabine's Gull [W], 1 Spoonbill [in off from S, lost heading towards landfall E of Bolt Head], 7 Balearic Shear [W], 13 Manx Shear [W], 1 Sooty Shear [W], 15 Common Scoter [W], 1 juv. Arctic Tern [W], 9 Puffin [4 E, 5 W], 1 Razorbill [E], 13 Guillemot [7 E, 6 W], 2 probable Black Guillemot [W], 1 skua sp. [W], 1 Kittiwake [W], 1 Fulmar [E], 11 grey geese [out, high, S], 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull [W], 4 Oystercatcher, 10 Gannet [in train, W] - many Gannet, 3rd winter and older, present but no clear movement, one distinctive individual went by 3 times. 500+ hirundines [~95% Swallow, at least one Sand Martin] present feeding over shore fields and well out to sea, 3 Rock Pipit, 1 Black Redstart [f], 1 Goldcrest, 5 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Stonechat, 15 Linnet.
Also, 1 Long-distance Rowers [green and yellow phase, W]

 

[The Kerreran]

For 24/9/7,

From Walls Hill [W of Hope's Nose];
20+ Lesser Black-backed Gull including 1 Intermedius type [W], ~80 Gannet [fishing, well out in Lyme Bay], 2 Common Tern [W]

 

[Ppedro]

Start Point

:-CQuiet at Start Point today. 2 Arctic Skuas and singles of Balearic Shearwater and Little Gull passing south, very poor compared to Berry Head. Very little on land. Weather forecast from a couple days back looked good for Start today but deteriorated late yesterday afternoon instead of overnight which must have stopped all the Bluetails etc heading this way and being forced down in the lighthouse tamarisks.:-C

 

[da2m]

does any one know how long the wood duck has been at stover?