Prawle

2.5 hour seawatch from 8am with John Lambert in strong SW winds produced :

1 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Great Northern Divers,I Fulmar, I Common Scoter with small numbers of auks,Kittiwakes ,Gannets,and  5 Wigeon. Also 1 Harbour Porpoise and 1 Black Redstart.In the reserve 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker. The end of autumn ?

 

Tony Marchese

Axe Estuary

2 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Med Gulls on the estuary late afternoon. 6 Greylags flew from upstream, dithered around a bit, then seemed to head off S. 70 Canada Geese dropped in to Coronation Corner shortly afterwards.

Exminster Marshes

One Short eared owl over northern marshes at 4:30pm.

Devon Atlas Plea

If you don't want to read what I've written below, then please just click on this link...

http://www.devonatlas.co.uk/

If you do, then great....

As many will know, the BTO Bird Atlas survey period is now over. All the data is in and the guys at Thetford I'm sure are busy sorting it all out. BUT.... Devon still needs YOU!

We still have two years of surveying left for the Devon Bird Atlas - a Bird Atlas for Devon has not been published since 1988 (Sitters, H.P.), and this is your chance to get involved for the brand spanking new addition!

There are two ways you can help with the surveying...

1/ Roving records:

These are just casual bird sightings that can be entered. Now fear not, if you already submit records in to Bird Track or to the DBWPS - which I hope is everyone :-) - then you have to do nothing more, as all these records will automatically get uploaded into the Atlas database. If not, then see our website about how to help.

2/ TTV's:

Just like the National BTO survey, Times Tetrad Visits are required (two winter, two summer). Many Tetrads have been allocated and completed, but there are still a worrying amount still to be done - we only have TWO YEARS LEFT!

More information on what Tetrads have been done/still need doing can be found on the website. Please do do DO check as you may well live IN or NEAR TO a Tetrad that still needs completing.

We do REALLY need your help, as so many common breeding species are missing from so many Tetrads. I am as guilty as anyone for not recording or reporting the common breeding species, but for The Atlas we NEED THESE RECORDS.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this, and thanks to 'Mr Blog Master' for allowing me to post this desperate plea.....

Bowling green marsh

From the hide 07:45 till 09:30, 379+ avocet, 76 bar tailed godwit, 2 black tailed godwit
5 Greylag geese, 5 knot, 50+ wigeon, 10 shoveler, 1 female pintail,50+ redshank, 3 little grebe, 30+ teal, 1 cetti's warbler calling, 350+ Brent geese over towards darts farm.

From the viewing platform 09:40 till 11:00 1000+ Dunlin, 30+ knot, 22 grey plover, 7 red breasted mergansers, 4 greenshanks, 2 little egrets, 3 reed buntings, 12 meadow pipits, 1 Jay

Malcolms day out

7 mandarin at torridge est landcross, a ruff at southcott valley bideford.

Seaton

The female Snow Bunting was skulking around on the beach side of the 2nd post on the pebble bank by the Yacht Club. Having walked back and forth several times, expecting to flush anything of interest, another birder said he almost stepped on it before it just walked off a few yards.

Apparently there was a Black Redstart on the houses at the end of the Beach Road, also next to the Yacht club.

Re: Ineresting Geese On R.Taw.

These are the 2 hybrids that I have been reporting for the past few days.
From their head size and shape plus the colour of their beaks, I still think they look more like
Ross`s/Barnacle hybrids rather than Snow/Barnacles.
I stand to be corrected.

'Interesting' Geese

On the River Taw at Yeo Bridge this morning...

[from Don Pratt]

Exminster Marsh

A late afternoon visit to Exminster Marsh, only 4 Greylags today,but large numbers of Greenfinch 200+ also 100+ Fieldfare and a few Redwings all these between canal car park and turf,also 1 Chiffchaff,10+ Gadwall 3 Pochard 1 Tufted Duck and 1 Pintail on the resoivoir,9 Common Gull on posts ,and walking back to car park a Short Eared Owl flew past me at 1610 hrs flying towards motorway end of reserve , Short eared owl showed to 1630 hrs at least at the motor way end. so not a bad 90 mins.

Broadsands

This Chiffchaff which plumage wise was very like tristis was giving an odd call, it was sharper than normal tristis but still more hollow than normal collybita, somewhere between the two! it responded brilliantly with wing quivering and quiet chuck - chuck call to tristis song but not to collybita song.



some closer photos of the bird:

Other birds included 8 Cirl Buntings on seed in back of 2nd car park, and collybita chiffchaff On Sea:1 Great Northern Diver, 3 Black-necked Grebes and 3 Great Crested Grebes. 

Exmouth

Maer Rocks: 2 purple sandpipers, 1 turnstone, 1 rock pipit, 30+ common scoter, 1 female velvet scoter, 12 shags.
Mudbank lane: the usual redshank, dunlin, pintail, wigeon, curlew and brent geese but also 2 greenshank, 2 little egrets and 9 red breasted mergansers.

[Sam Marles]

Staverton

Driving over Staverton Bridge early afternoon noticed 4 Goosanders ( 2 redheads ) and 3 Little Grebes on the R. Dart on the Staverton side of the bridge.

Thurlestone Bay

New arrivals today were on South Huish marsh - sigle Greylag Goose and a pale-bellied Brent Goose , latter feeding in the ' Great Bustard ' field. Haven't seen many of these over the last 7 years

R.Taw between Pottington and Penhill Marsh.

14:15 - 15:30

Good numbers of birds on the river this afternoon incl:-

c1500 Lapwing; c400 Curlew; c100 Dunlin and c130 Wigeon.

On Penhill Marsh were c300-400 Canada Geese plus the 2 hybrid Snow/Barnacle or
Ross`s/Barnacle pair; 9 Greylags and c30 Dark-bellied Brent.
On the Pottington side was a solitary Grey Plover and a Sparrowhawk flying across to Hollacombe being chased by a Gull.
A flock of c3000 Golden Plover were constantly being disturbed by a twin-engined aircraft doing repeated approaches and checking out Chivenor`s navigation beacons. At times while the birds were still in the air, the aircraft actually flew through the aerial Plovers and several were seen to be being tossed about by the aircraft`s slipstream. I`d be surprised it it got away without a birdstrike.

Clennon Valley

A stroll around the ponds this lunchtime produced: 1 tristis type Chiffchaff (non calling), 4 collybita Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests, 2 Shoveler, 1 Pintail, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Little Egret, 2 Water Rail. 
I haven't given up on autumn yet!

Mansands

The desert wheatear appears to have moved on - not seen today. However 3 black redstarts were feeding around the coastguard cottages. 32 teal, a snipe and a water rail were on the marsh, and a firecrest was in bushes by the hide at 15:15, accompanied by several goldcrests.

Slapton Ley

In amongst tonight's c20,000 Starling roost was a juv/1w Rose-coloured Starling

West Charleton Marsh

Female Goldeneye in estuary off sea wall.

Longdown

4 Hawfinches seen in Beech woodland at Longdown this morning.The birds were highly mobile and were seen to leave the private estate where first seen and fly towards the village itself. A short while later 2  were seen flying in the same direction and were probably different birds.

[Roy Adams]