Clennon Valley Ponds

A couple of pictures from the ponds this morning. Also seen: 4 chiffchaffs (2 tristis type, 2 collybita), 3 shoveler, 2 teal, 1 water rail (and another heard), 10 snipe.

Plymouth (belated news for 22/12)

Peverell, Plymouth
1 Firecrest 700+  Redwings heading NW (largest flocks of over 100) & a Fieldfare heard. No's would easily have gone over 1000 if I had been able to watch for more than about 1/2 hr at 8.30am.

Saltash Br
50 Redwing heading WNW across the border at bridge height.

[Robert Hurrell]

Lower Tamar Lake

11 male Goosander; 1 Gadwall; 60+ Mallard; 70+ Teal;  c50 Wigeon; 2 Shoveler; ^ GreatCrested Grebe; 4 Little Grebe;  c80 Coot; 7 Moorhens; 2 Grey Herons; 90+ Lapwings; c100 Golden Plover; 1 Kingfisher; 1 Peregrine over; 2 Ravens over; 1 Willow Tit at the feeding station by the hide plus Nuthatch, Blue and Great Tit.  Coal Tit calling

[Harvey Kendall]

Weare Giffard

Lovely Whooper Swan at Annery Kiln Bridge today - photo by Brian Palmer

Prawle

Seawatch from 8.00 - 10.30. All west, 2 Great Northern, 1 Black-throated and 16 Red-throated Divers, 135 Gannets, 4 Fulmars (still in short supply), Goosander (redhead), 45 Kittiwakes and 253 Auks, mostly Razorbills. Not much on the land, just 2 Water Rails, Reed Bunting, and single Blackcap and Chiffchaff. Highlight of the day, and most unexpected, occured just as I was about to leave, in fading light. All the birds went up and started circling and calling. After a few minutes of frantic scanning, I found the culprit. Way out to sea, very high up and moving rapidly east, I could just make out a string of Reindeer, pulling some kind of sleigh. The lead one had a very bright nose. Looks like he's on his way. Hope you've all been good this year! Happy Christmas.

West Prawle

After being told of 5 Egyptian Geese in a field with a swan, I went to have a look. Only 3 geese by then, but the swan turned out to be this adult Whooper. Site is on the East Portlemouth road, about 1/2 a mile beyond Vinivers Cross, opposite the entrance to West Prawle farm. Frustratingly, this is 2 fields outside the Prawle patch boundary. Yours truly is looking for one more year tick to beat my previous record - both these would fit the bill !!

Broadsands

On sea: 7 Black-necked Grebes, 11 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Guillemot, 1 Common scoter.

Around car parks: 13 Cirl Buntings on seed, 2 Reed Bunting and in the marshy ditch now 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 whiter undersided tristis types plus one much better buffy and brown bird that called 3 times - perfectly for tristis, also 2 collybita type birds. 1 Water Rail in marsh.

Near Tedburn St Mary

A late early-winter Atlas tetrad yielded a decent total of about 150 each of Redwing and Fieldfare gorging on apples, and a cold-looking Peacock butterfly looking for some shelter.

Even Later news from yesterday

1 Short eared owl briefly in strong breeze at 1545 hrs at North end of Exminster Marsh,flew briefly and landed did not see it again before dusk,but was not looking in that area all the time so may of flew some more,lots of birds on the marsh but nothing unusual, Merry Xmas to every one and good birding,

Aveton Gifford

Late news from yesterday - Bewick's Swan still viewable from the tidal road.

Preston Down yesterday

A nice group of 3 brown hairstreak eggs found during the site survey.

Wembury 22 and 23/12

While most people were searching for last minute Christmas presents, I was searching for last minute year ticks. Just like shopping, I had to wait until the last possible minute to find something that I wanted! Lots of time and effort searching for Firecrest, Water Rail, Purple Sand and Tawny Owl but no luck! Best bird of yesterday was a Stock Dove (only just annual here although 3-4 seen this year). Masses of Redwings with 1500+ yesterday when normally we would be scratching round for the odd one in December. No Fieldfare but lots of Song Thrush (many in song...) and Blackbirds seeming very conspicuous.

Today a quick seawatch yielded 7 Common Scoter, 5 Kittiwake and 10+ Fulmar. One Guillemot was on the sea as well. In the fading light of this evening a Woodcock flew out of the radar compound to add itself to the year list.

Edit: A quick request - if anyone has got our Turnstones, can we have them back please? I have only seen one in the whole of December when normally we have 50+.

North devon reserves

Visited Bradiford reserve this morning early, but was surprised to see a squad car and two policemen looking over the gate! They were watching some shooters in the fields just over the river on the far side of the reserve. Fat lot of good providing a refuge for birds only to find that shooting is permitted just over the river. No doubt where the birds they would be shooting would come from! And I've also no doubt that that their dogs would be sent into the reserve to collect any birds that fell in the reserve...... I didn't stay to see what happened.

Went later to Velator and found the reserve pond swamped with Canada Geese, scores of them! They soon flew out into an adjacent field! Quite a few Redwings present with all the Finches.

Axe Estuary

The 1st-winter Caspian Gull present again opposite Coronation Corner (with apologies to all yesterday's visitors!) from at least 11:50 until 12:42, when it flew slowly SW towards the coast.

A minimum of 3 adult Med Gulls and an intermedius type LBBG too.

Dinnaton, nr.Ivybridge

Like Mike P, heading off to get the sprouts & mushrooms when a merlin decided to fly alongside the car. Nice surprise!!

Bursden Moor

Three Hen Harriers came in to roost late afternoon, an adult male, a second winter male and a ringtail. A male Merlin was also around, and three Buzzards. In the fields were 350 Lapwing and 150 Golden Plover. Several large Starling flocks were flying over towards their roost near Meddon.

Axe Estuary

No sign of the Caspian Gull today (one day we'll all catch up with one in the county!), but 2 Yellow-legged Gulls (ad + f.w.), at least 2 different ad Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Sandpiper. There were a few Black-tailed (I didn't count them) and at least one Bar-tailed Godwit present as well.

Around the Exe

Dawlish Warren - Dick Andrews & I went looking for the Surf Scoter (it was there) but got the most pleasant surprise - this male Eider was resting on the sea just off Langstone Rock at lunchtime. It didn't look in any hurry to depart.

Also lots of activity well offshore with a mixed flock of Gannets (100+ at least) and Gulls, with the Gannets giving good diving displays; flock of 20 Common Scoter also present

With apologies for the photo quality.

Exminster Marshes - the lagoon had 32 Gadwall and 3 Pochard in addition to the usuals.

Matford Scrapes - as wet as I've seen them, but with 27 Snipe in and on the various small islands and tufts of grass

Exminster Marshes

Two Short-eared Owls flew north along the canal, on the estuary side, near the anglers' carpark at 1550. The same or another two then hunting over the northern part of the marshes between 1600-1630.

Thurlestone Bay

Pretty desparate on the marshes/aby this morning - after an hours seawatch producedonly30 gannet & a Kiitiwake suddenly deceided to look more closely at the steady flow of Herring Gull -must have been in excess of a 1000, only addn'l species a2w Common Gull, 2 Lesser B B Gull and 70 Black H Gull- one day I will find the first Caspian for the patch..

This afternoon driving out of the village when a juv ringtail Hen Harrier flew in front of me , who says shopping doesn't pay!