Broadsands

Good to meet another blogger Rob Macklin on the headland this morning between us we managed to see:
1 Red-necked Grebe, 56 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Red-throated Divers (no Great Northerns today!), 3 Common Scoter, hundreds of Kits, auks other Gulls and Gannets out in Torbay.

Around the car park: 13 Cirl buntings on seed in 2nd car park, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 collybita type Chiffchaffs and the tristis type (odd calling) Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests.

At Preston: 2 Black-necked Grebes.

Two of the Chiffchaffs present the olive looking collybita type left and odd calling browny-grey tristis type right. In bright - neutral light today there appear to be some olive streaks in the mantle and possibly nape of the tristis type bird - olive in the other parts of wings/tail and rump are not so important. In the field a little yellow on the undertail coverts; combined with the odd call (despite it responding only to tristis song playback) must make this bird an intergrade or just a bird from the eastern contact zone between abietinus/tristis?

Broadsands

The tristis type Chiffchaff still present with the collybita, both calling. On the sea were 34 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Black-necked Grebe and a couple of Great Northern Divers. Still lots of Gannets feeding in the bay with plenty of Auks but no Kitts. Couldn't find the Red-necked Grebe or the Slav's today.

Dawlish Warren

Colorful drake Eider close in off Langstone Rock.

Exmouth and West Hill

There was a Black Redstart around rooftops in Madeira Villas, Exmouth, this morning - apparently seen there regularly. Visiting one of Andy Swash's 'regular' Firecrest sites in West Hill soon revealed an apparent pair - as usual, associating with Holly bushes (Holly and Yew seen to be important to Firecrests, at least out of the breeding season).

Slapton Ley

Offshore a Slavonian Grebe and further out a raft of Gannets. The Marsh Harrier appeared at 2.30 then again at 3pm over the bridge. 3 Cettis heard plus 2 colybita Chiffchaffs and as Starlings began to appear a female Sparrowhawk flew over the Ley.

 

[Tony Marchese]

Prawle

This Chiffchaff, in East Prawle Woods, looked good, sounded good, so probably is good for 'tristis'

Water Pipit, still in Horseley Cove.

Very uneventful 2.5 hour seawatch, with only 4 Common Scoters and a small passage of 24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls of any note. Elsewhere, 15 Purple Sandpipers and a Med Gull along the shore, Water Rail still at Moorwell, 2 Black Redstarts, a 'normal' Chiffchaff and 3 Goldcrests.

Broadsands

The sea was fairly busy with: 4 Great Northern Divers, 1 Red-necked Grebe, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Slavonian Grebes, 13 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Razorbills. As Josh noted still lots of Kittiwake and Gannets on the Torquay side of Torbay 4 Cirl & 1 Reed bunting on seed in back of 2nd car park and the tristis type Chiffchaff again in the marsh also 3 Goldcrests and a Water Rail.

At Preston Seafront there were 3 Black-necked Grebes and 5 Great Crested Grebes.

Upottery Airfield, Smeatharpe

The Great Grey Shrike present late this afternoon sitting low down in a hawthorn bush on the rough pasture. Having visited three times this past week after an absence of two weeks whilst on holiday without finding the bird, I  thought it had moved on so was pleasantly surprised. However very few other birds around with passerines very low in number - 20 fieldfare being the only other birds of note.

Wembury

As happens every December/January I remember that Water Pipit ID is a lot easier that I make it seem through October and November! A real corker at the point this afternoon. Also 10+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls (normally pretty rare here over the winter months). There were 2 second winter birds as well which I had never seen here.

4 Crossbill over the garden in the village this morning.

Aveton Gifford

The juv. Bewick's Swan still presents on River Avon amongst 23 Mute Swans. Also 3 Redshank, 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2-3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Wigeon, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Curlew and over 100 Mallards were seen today afternoon.
Observers: Matt Twiggs, Gábor Tresó and me.

Bursden Moor - yesterday 3/12

2 Hen Harriers (adult male & ringtail) at Bursdon Moor on Saturday late afternoon.[Will Salmon]

Exminster marsh

Arrived at the marsh at 08:30 along station road 22 fieldfare and 30+ redwing good numbers of wigeon and 12+ shoveler, 1 male pintail on the first scrape. 4 cetti's warblers calling from various locations around the marsh, 7+ reed buntings, 1 great spotted woodpecker.

On the lagoon 4 pochard, 6 gadwall, 3 shoveler

From the turf hotel on the rising tide 285+ avocet, 15+ red breasted mergansers, 100+ grey plover and 2000+ Dunlin, 2 bar tailed godwit, 4 great crested grebes, lots of Brent geese

On way home stopped at matford marsh, 8 snipe, 1 water rail, 450+ lapwing, 80+ wigeon, 5 shoveler, 3 tufted duck, 100+ teal, 35 black tailed godwit

Torbay

Had a look at the bay from Battery Gardens, Brixham at lunchtime. Large amounts of Kitts and Gannets feeding in the bay managed to drag in a Great Skua.
Also 2 Great Northern Divers and a Red Breasted Merganser were present

Slapton Ley etc

A family walk along the higher ley at Slapton today threw up a marsh harrier, a bittern and whilst watching a short eared owl quartering over the reeds we accidentally flushed another one on the beach side of the road. The owl returned to sit on the beach where its plumage made it virtually invisible. Cettis were still singing and a kingfisher flew upstream of the bridge.

Also the juvenile Berwick Swan has returned to Aveton Gifford and seemed to be particularly vocal.

[Tim Clyburn]

Exmouth and Otter

Maer Rocks - 0740 - 10 common scoter, 3 great northern diver, 2 velvet scoter, 1+ red-throated diver, 2 turnstone, 1 eider, 1 great crested grebe, 16 dark-b brent goose.

Mudbank - 0835 - 4 greenshank, 4 teal, 2 goldeneye, 1 shoveler, 2 pale-bellied brent goose.

Carter Park - male black redstart (photo).

Otter Estuary - fw caspian gull (see field notes), 1+ ad mediterranean gull, 1 male black redstart (first beach east of Otter Head).

Maer Rocks yesterday - late pm - 1 purple sandpiper, 15+ turnstone, 2 great northern diver and 1 eider.

The caspian gull was present for about 5 minutes at 1pm before the whole gull flock was spooked and the caspian flew upriver, past me in the east hide and then back south and out of sight. A large, long-necked classic first-winter bird, very beautiful.......if gulls are your thing!

Broadsands

The odd calling tristis type chiffchaff was still present with at least one collybita chiffchaff in the marsh, also two Water Rail.

At sea there was a big dispersed flock of feeding Kittiwake 400+ and Gannets 60+ on the Torquay side of Torbay. Off Broadsands there were 6 Great Northern Divers (none very close!), 5 Black-necked Grebes, 13 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Common Scoter, 3 Razorbill and 1 Guillemot. The auks and a good number of Shags were feeding very close to the shoreline taking tiny bait fish. 

Velator reserve

Big increase in Blackbirds yesterday - 15 ringed along witha Redwing and a Song Thrush. STill scores of Greenfinches taking advantage of the berries and feeders - 38 ringed.

river torridge landcross n devon

adult whooper swan with 2 mute swans , seen from iron bridge landcross at 10.00 hrs today

Middle Soar

Wing-tagged Great Bustard in the 'pepper pot' field, and 6 Golden Plover in the field next door. [photos from Barry Rankine]

Thurlestone Bay

Had a day off patch- Went to Chew and had 3 American waders - Sharp Tailed S'piper, Spotted S'piper & 2 Long B Dowitcher, on the way back stopped off to look at the Red B Goose at Darts Farm .

Bob B on site here ,7 Bearded Tit & Kingfisher at South Milton Ley also a male Tufted Duck flew east .

In Kingsbridge he had an Osprey over Tesco's flying NNW at !2.00