Bowling green marsh

Just a bit more detail to my earlier post, I watched the marsh from 08:15 till 13:45 and started with the 3 juv ruff and 14 knot and at least 5 yellow wagtails and 1 avocet. Then just before 11:00 Mark saw a BITTERN flying it disappeared before anyone could see it but a few minutes later it flew again over the reeds on the far bank to the delight of all in the hide before droping down into the reeds. The rain was pouring down but still the good birds came a water rail showed briefly on and off and a sparrowhawk and peregrine both swooped low over the marsh.

The final total of over 40 species for the day also included 2 green sandpiper, 20+ Dunlin, 2 whimbrel, 15 greenshank, 6 bar tailed godwits, 1 adult Mediterranean gull,30 little egrets 1 male gadwall.

On the way home stopped of at my local patch in exeter and watched the Dipper on the weir by the Mill on the exe pub to finish of a good.

Bowling Green Marsh

At least 4 yellow wagtails on marsh.

Thurlestone Bay

waders on the beach this am ( during a period of very heavy rain ):- 80 Ringed Plover, 42 Dunlin, 23 sanderling, 2 Whimbrel, 1jv Wheatear, 3 Sandwich Tern.

Tstn Marsh this pm- 1 Yellow wagtail & 1 Swift flew over.

S M Ley- 1 Hobby, 5 Yellow Wagtail

Quieter morn for the ringing team - 27 Sedge, 14 Reed , 8 Willow, 1 Groppa, 2 Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff

Exmouth

Orcombe pt - 4 knot, ad med gull, 4 pied wag, 4 tree pipit, 1+ willow warbler, 7+ whitethroat, 2+ blackcap, 1 wheatear, 1 grasshopper warbler and 1 swift.
Mudbank - 6 wigeon, 4 redshank, 5 knot, 1 ad med gull, 5 little tern, c30+ sandwich tern, juv peregrine, 1 dunlin and juv yellow-legged gull. The small group of little terns was attacked by the juv peregrine - not sure of the final outcome but one bird was repeatedly dive-bombed.

Axe Estuary

A two hour tour of duty as the Tower Hide's resident 'expert' this afternoon produced a nice highlight in the shape of this pristine juv Pintail which dropped in with a flight of Mallard...

Other entertainment was provided by a Whimbrel, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, a fleeting Kingfisher, 3 distant Wood Sandpipers in front of the BHM Island Hide and a steady stream of 'Wet & Wild Weekend' punters - a praiseworthy endeavour by the EDDC Countryside team.

Kingsbridge Estuary

Charleton Marsh / Bay. ( 08:30-09:30, high tide ).

Teal, Turnstone, 4 Whimbrel and 3 adult Med Gulls.

Beer Cemetery fields - This Morning

2 Spotted Flycatchers, 11 Blackcaps, 6 Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Tree Pipits & on the wires & overhead, 46 House Martins, 35 Swallows & a Swift.

Prawle Friday

Quick trip down Pigs Nose valley produced a juv Cuckoo, 6 Swift over, 30 Sand Martin and 2 Yellow Wagtails.

Bowling green marsh

Bittern seen in flight over reeds on far bank from hide
At 11:00 also 3 juv ruff 14+ knot 2 green sandpiper and 1 avocet

Wembury

First signs of migration: 5 Tree Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail, one Hobby and a Common Sand. Precious little else though with just a few Chiffs and small numbers of Hirundines.


A Jersey Tiger from the garden

Bowlig Green Marsh

A good days birding at bowling green marsh today from 08:45 to 11:45 arrived at the hide and first bird seen were 3 juv Ruff in with several Knots not a bad start  to the day which got even better at 09:40 when 2 AVOCET circled the marsh and settled for a few moments before flying off to the south but  they returned about 15 minutes later giving excellent views.
Other counts today included
15 + Knot 1in full summer plumage
3 Ringed Plover
3 Green Sandpipers
15+ Greenshank
7 Bar tailed godwits
25+ Little egrets
6 Whimbrel
There were large numbers of Black tailed godwits no count done today but 450+  earlier in week

Other highlights this week were Juv Wood sandpiper on Wednesday morning.

Thursday morning 1juv ruff  with 17 knot, 3 yellow wagtails, 1 wheatear all from the hide and a Wood Warbler in the trees to the right of the viewing platform.

Peverell, Plymouth

Swift over house for third day today. With seven on Tuesday. Thought they had gone.

Black Hole Marsh / Colyford Common

This evening...

More waders than I've seen of late - at least 29 Dunlin, 2 Ringed plovers, 13 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Green Sandpipers, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Greenshanks, a Knot, and a Common Sand or three.

Bradiford Reserve

A quick look in this afternoon showed a couple of Green Sandpipers.

Thurlestone Bay

Sunshine means disturbance- totally different today

AJL had 36 Sanderling, 29 Dunlin , 7 Ringed Plover, 1 Sandwich Tern on /off the beach.

South H Marsh and field - 7 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Wheatear, 9 Teal, 3 raven, 2 dunlin.

Tstn Marsh - Bob B had a Whinchat, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Green sandpiper, 2 Swift over,.

Ringing team had another successful day - 28 Sedge, 14 Reed, 2 Groppa, 2 Willow, 1 garden, 1 Blackcap

Headon Down, Cornwood

3 wheatears, 2 whinchats, 1 redstart.

Stacks of graylings.

Instow to Isley marsh at high tide (9.45 -11.00)

A single little Owl was showing well in the open barn and there were around 100 Oystercatcher on the black rocks at Instow.  Just a few Dunlin, Knot and Ringed Plovers on the small beach between the Instow Jetty and the old Power station water outlet, what birds there was were put up by a steady stream of dogs, a few owner's were even throwing balls into the water for the dogs to go and retrieve, I guess this was just to make sure that all the birds were disturbed !!!!. I counted just 8 Little Egret roosting on Isley Marsh together with a few Curlew.   I did manage to get a few snaps in between dodging the dogs..

Powderham corner, Exe Estuary

I didn't judge the tides correctly and arrived at 9.00 to find the tide very high and subsequently few waders. Those that did remain included 61 black-tails, 1 curlew and 3 dunlin. However 2 avocets flew north calling with a single shelduck. This is quite an early date.

In the adjacent fields were 2 wheatears, 4 pied wagtails and a yellow wagtail was heard but not located. 6 ravens flew over.

At least 36 little egrets were roosting across the estuary at the end of the garden to the south of the Goat Walk, Topsham.

Also of interest were the number and variety of birds in the large Powderham Oak on the road side just to the east of the church. I counted nuthatches (3+), treecreepers (3+), great tits, long-tailed tits and blue tits.

Lower Tamar Lake

A walk at Lower Tamar Lake today revealed:-

2 Common Sandpipers.

10 Mute Swans

9+Great Crested Grebes plus 4 stripey half grown young

3 Little Grebes

34 Coot    4 Moorhen

1 female Bullfinch, 2 Blackcaps and several Willow/Chiffs calling

20+ Swallows

Of interest:  The contractors have today completed the establishment of a wetland area in front of the hide on the Lower Lake with scrapes and shallow lagoons plus areas of wet mud - hopefully more waders will be attracted this year than the past few rather poor years.

Also, the paths and access on the eastern side have just been upgraded so birders may use this side of the lake without the need to wear total mud protection!

[from Harvey Kendall]

Broadsands

There were no gulls on the sea or beach but there were 16 Ringed plovers and a single sanderling feeding on the shore.