Dunsford Woods

Went looking for the lesser spotted woodpecker today at Dunsford woods, no luck but an abundance of birds including; 2 dippers, 3 marsh tit, 4 goldcrest, 2 tawny owls calling, 5 siskin and best of all a solitary firecrest.

[Sam Marles]

bowling green marsh and exmouth

This morning arrived at the hide at bowling green marsh at 07:00 and watched till 10:15

500+ Avocet was a good count but even better was the 218+ bar tailed godwit my best count this winter, 600+ Black tailed godwit, 10 pintail, 4 gadwall  (2m,2f), 8 tufted duck (5m, 3f), 37 shelduck , 15+dunlin, 1 knot,120+ redshank, 1 cetti's warbler, 8 greylag geese

Decided to then watch the estuary between exmouth and lympstone along mudbank lane between 10:45 and 13:20. The highlight was some good views of the Yellow Browed Warbler moving through the trees in holm oak copse at west lodge at 12:35 for about 20 mins

and finally managed to get this photo not the greatest but ok for a record shot.

Also on the estuary 2 goldeneye (1m 1f) , 60+ Pintail, 55+ red breasted mergansers, 2 ravens, 1 peregrine, 1 grey plover, 33+ turnstone

Beesands / Kingsbridge Estuary

3 GN Divers off Beesands this pm and 8 RbMergs Kingsbridge Estuary near road bridge.  [Steve Piotrowski]

Braunton great field

Dusk visit as it was a calm evening and delighted to see both Barn and Little Owl.

Roadford Reservoir

7 scaup 2m 5f+ 9 goldeneye 3m 6f at roadford reservoir today at 11.30am

Axe Estuary & Seaton

Gorgeous 1st-winter Caspian Gull on the river this afternoon, north of Coronation Corner. Also 3 Ruff there briefly, and the Black-necked Grebe still off the seafront this morning.

Hardly world-class photography, but I don't care!

River Kenn-Exe Estuary

The Spotted Redshank still off the River Kenn mouth, showing very well just off the railway crossing on the falling tide. Also 3 Greenshank. Nearby a brief look off Dawlish Warren- a Black-Necked Grebe off the sea wall and 2 Slav Grebes south of Langstone Rock.

Seaton

Black-necked Grebe still off the seafront this afternoon.

Pied Wag roost Plymouth

With the lengthening days, I am starting to see the Pied Wag roost in Plymouth as I wait for the bus in the evening. About 150 birds are roosting each evening on the big tree on the roundabout in front of the post office by Drake Circus. Barn Owls quite vocal around Wembury over the last few days but refusing to stray near enough to the patch!

Brixham Breakwater

Kumliens Gull came in with Trawlers at 1640hrs and hung around on the water at the end of the Breakwater until last light

Bowling green marsh

Another good morning on the marsh watched from the hide from 07:45 till 11:00

The marsh was busy as usual when I arrived and a quick count of the bar tailed godwits found 200+ another good count, then a peregrine swooped over the masses of black tailed godwits 600+ again today. Then as I watching 3 pintail on the far side from the hide a female hen harrier flew in over the railway line at 08:16 and dropped onto a post in the far reedbed a fantastic sight and proceeded to sit there till 08:44 the 4 of us in the hide all got some views unfortunatly there were a few reeds in the way to get great views. Then it flew off and was lost for a few minutes before coming back into view being harrased by a group of crows it flew down over the viewing platform and was heading towards lympstone area.

Other counts were 510+ avocet, 10 pintail, 4 gadwall, 6 tufted duck, 1 little grebe, 30+ shoveler, 2 knot, 12+ Dunlin, 3 snipe, 2 lapwing, 5 meadow pipit and a chiffchaff, 500+ Brent geese

From the viewing platform 45+ grey plover, 1 greenshank, 2 goldeneye (1m, 1f) were off lympstone commando

From goat walk 3 great crested grebe and 4 red breasted mergansers

Thurlestone Bay

Shelduck starting to appear - 4 this morning .

8 Common Scoter flew into the Bay and landed on the sea .
Nick T whilst carrying out his conservation work flushed a Woodcock ( first of the year) and also saw a Firecrest

Singing blackcaps

I have heard a few blackcaps singing in the last few days - From thick ivy next to Lower Union Street car park, Torquay and in a private mature oak woodland near Dawlish.

Bowling green marsh

Hen harrier ringtail at bowling green marsh now from the hide far side sat in reeds on post

Exminster Marshes

A very quick visit early afternoon produced the drake American Wigeon over towards the railway line, one of the Ruffs on the scrape near the anglers' car park, a calling Water Rail near the middle 'car park' and a Water Pipit which had been flushed by a marauding Peregrine, flying over the main scrapes area.

Kingsbridge Estuary

Nine Red Breased Mergansers made a quick excursion up to South Pool (Kingsbridge Estuary) and back down the creek, swimming and diving this morning. Four males and Five females. First time I've seen them here.

[Peter Liddle]

Exe Estuary (yesterday)

Yesterday afternoon's Stuart Lines cruise experienced surprisingly decent weather - it's amazing how relatively calm and dry it can be in the estuary when offshore the sea is rough and the surrounding hills are clad in rain clouds! The highlight was excellent views of a new Slavonian Grebe with the 'resident' bird now between Lympstone and Turf. Totals of 17 Great Crested Grebes and 9 Goldeneye were my best for the winter. The Spotted Redshank was still with Greenshanks between the Kenn outlet and Starcross Sailing Club. A rough count of the Avocets between Topsham and Turf came to 510, plus even rougher estimates of 500+ Black-tailed and 200-300 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Seaton Marshes - yesterday 22/2

Another excursion to the Axe Estuary produced a great gathering of Shelduck 100+ from the hide. 50+ blackwits, 200+ lapwing numerous black headed gull, one Med Gull, 10+ little grebe, one male Pintail, 8 Shovelers, to name but a few.

[Derek Carter]

Slapton and Beesands

  Rain!  2 male Goldeneyes, a male Shoveller and a burst of Cettis at Slapton.  At a very wet Beesands a Slavonian Grebe close in to the beach.

Thurlestone Bay

First strong wind for a while SW F 6/7 with increasingly rough seas and after 11.15 heavy rain and poor viz.

On Thurlestone Marsh at 08.00 - 45 Wigeon, 25 Teal, 2 m Shoveler, 2 Lapwing, 50 Snipe, 1 Black Tailed Godwit.

On South Huish Marsh a new arrival a female Tufted Duck ( 1st of the year ) also another male Pintail, 20 Wigeon, 7 Teal.

Seawatching until the rain arrived produced the first Balearic Shearwater ( flew west at 10.40 )
12 Gannet, 7 Common Gull, 6 Fulmar.

Waders on the beach - 7 Turnstone, 2 Dunlin