Wembury Beach 9/10

AM - 5 Grey Plover, 4 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 1 Wheatear, Grey Seal, 88 Oystercatcher, 2 Swallow

PM - 18 Dunlin, 5 Goldcrest, 1 Chiffchaff, 40 alba wag, 6 Bottle-nosed Dolphin

Prawle area

Seawatch, 07.30 - 13.00; 2 Balearic Shearwaters, Great Skua, 24 Common Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Wigeon, 2 Pochard, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Common Gulls.

also; 30+ House Martins, 2 Swallows, 2 Wheatears, 8 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, Firecrest.

Northam Burrows

12:00 - 13:30 Cracking views of 5 Snow buntings at Sandymere.

Berry Hd

Balearic Shearwaters 5 above and one pretending to be a Sooty below.. also two 1st w Med Gulls

Went to Berry Hd to look for passerines and ended up seawatching:

12.40 - 1.40pm; 26 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, 2 Bonxies, 3 Med Gulls.

Around headland; 1 Treecreeper, 5 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 4 Blackcap.

Newton Abbot

Report from Pete Stevens of 5 White Storks drifting W over Newton Abbot this morning heading toward Ipplepen.

Northam Burrows

Two Snow Buntings showing well at Northam Burrows this morning, but the other two not located. At the "usual" place at the end of Sandymere beside the pebbles.

Beesands Ley

High number of Coot ( 163 ). Also 40 Gadwall ( not a high number for here ) and 5 Shoveler. 8 Tufted Duck were the only diving ducks seen. Beesands may see more Coot etc this winter because of apparent ( and presumably temporary ) poor condition of Slapton Ley ( re food availability for wildfowl ).

Start Point

Clear night, almost 100% cloud cover at dawn. Moderate southeast wind ( lighter than forecast ).

06:45-14:00, ( Light/ Mattiscombe Valley/ Farm/ Down Valley )
Negligable overhead movement first thing. Just a single Chiffchaff at the light.
Great Spotted Woodpecker, 24 Swallow, 15 House Martin, 150 Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, 40 Pied Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, 25 Robin ( first influx of autumn ), 3 Wheatear, 4 Blackcap, 12 Chiffchaff, 11 Goldcrest ( first double figure count since autumn 2008 ), 2 Firecrest, 16 Starling ( first flock of autumn ), 6 Siskin.

Berry Head

Seawatch: 07:30-12:30

Ad Pomarine Skua, Black-throated Diver, 7 Balearic Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, 17 Arctic Skua, 4 Great Skua, juv Common Tern, 3 Sandwich Tern, 4 Common Gull, 466 Kittiwake (good passage incl. 63 juvs but sadly no Sabs!), 14 Common Scoter, 3 Harbour Porpoise.

Of interest this diver was initialy noted as GND, as a quick fly-by, by all present. Luckily I snapped this picture! Concensus of opinion now is imm BTD, as lacking GND's collar, has more pointed wings, highish white flank. But pretty sublte!

Clennon Valley

Brief walk turned into a frustrating long walk when a skulking Acro warbler was found in sallows near YMCA!!

Reed Warbler 1 - eventually gave some very good views, Gadwall 1 male - back again, Water Rail 3, Chiffchaff 11, Goldcrest 3, Kingfisher 1.

Northam Burrows

9:30 - 11:00
 Lots of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear around on the Burrows this morning.

Meadow Pipit

Skylark

Wheatear

Berry Hd - Passerines

Search of the top of the headland today produced:

Firecrest 1, Goldcrest 8, Chiffchaff 11, Stonechat 1, - not much overhead but, Alba Wagtails 21, Grey Wagtail 1, Meadow Pipits 83, Skylark 6, Siskin 2 + a few other common finches.

Snow Bunting Dartmoor

A Snow Bunting at Top Tor, near Widecombe (Dartmoor) today.


[from Ann Willcocks]

Exmouth late afternoon

Exmouth seafront 1645-1830

juvenile sabines gull south @1745 with small group of kittiwakes (mostly juvs). Also 3+ arctic skua lingering, 1+balearic shearwater, 4+ gannet, c40+kittiwake, fw mediterranean gull, auk sp, and 44+common scoter.

Mudbank Lane

adult red-breasted goose with 150+ dark-bellied brent geese on incoming tide this afternoon.

Berry Head

Seawatch 14:30-18:00 (Mark D and Dave Smallshire)
23 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Manx Shearwaters, Great Skua, Pomarine Skua, 2 Skua sp., 3 Arctic Skuas, juv Arctic Tern, juv Common Tern, 2 'commic' Terns, 9 Common Scoter, Harbour Porpoise
(Earlier 16 shearwater sp. had been seen, most likely Balearics, so that could be around 39 this afternoon!).

Fremington Pill

10:00am  -   1 Ruff and 1 Greenshank feeding alongside the Redshank flock (approx 120).

Clennon Valley Ponds

Immature Ruddy duck showing well on the lower pond between 14.00 and 14.40. Also 3 dabchicks.

Kingsbridge Estuary - West side

Merlin, ad Mediterranean Gull, 2 juv Common Terns fishing out in the channel. A Peregrine caught a wader over the estuary and was chased and robbed of the kill by a Raven!

Soar

Yellow-browed Warbler just below farm in line of willows.

Soar quite productive despite windy conditions:

Highlights: Yellow-browed Warbler and Wryneck.

Over-head: Skylark 135, Meadow Pipit 131, Linnet 67, Chaffinch 46, Siskin 23, Golden Plover 1, Alba Wagtails 13.

Around area: Wheatear 7, Chiffchaff 4, Goldcrest 2, Blackcap 1, Stonechat 7.

Pictures below Wryneck in field just south of the ponds at the top of Starehole Valley on short grassy slope - it was in the same place when I came back up the valley 1/2hr later.

Sharkham Point

A quick 15 minute walk out from the house this morning, a Sedge Warbler was located in scrub at the rear of St Marys Bay in the exact spot that the Gropper was seen 2 days ago.