The Axe

Along the river today - 4 Grey Plovers (plus another on the beach with a couple of Ringed Plovers), 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, 10+ Whimbrel, 16 Dunlin, singing Lesser Whitethroat, many hundreds of hirundines (probably a few thousands through). Ian M had 3 LRP's on Black Hole Marsh this morning.

© Roger Harris

© Roger Harris

Powderham to Exminster Marshes

Just to add to Keith's sightings, about 200 Swifts over Powderham Marsh, a male Peregrine snacking on the hirundines, 2 summer-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit off Powderham and at least 13 Wheatear, 3 along the sea-wall, the rest around the water on Exminster.

Bowling green marsh and exminster marsh

From the hide at bowling green marsh 08:50 till 09:30 Very quiet 15+ black tailed godwit, 9 greenshank, pochard(m), 3 tufted duck, cetti's, along the lane from hide towards the viewing platform a nice lesser whitethroat was a nice find. Exminster marsh 10:10 till 14:30 Got the ferry over from topsham and had grasshopper warbler in reeds by landing area, 3 sedge warbler and 2 Reed warbler along path to fishermans car park. Along the lane by middle car park a beautiful female BLACK WINGED STILT and the 2nd summer ICELAND GULL showed well 4 yellow wagtails, 3 wheatear and a HOBBY north and a couple thousand sand Martin, swallows with a few swifts and house martins. Another 2 HOBBIES between station road and the lagoon, 1 pochard, 4 tufted duck, 1 pintail, a fox, 5 more wheatear in field before the lions rest industrial estate. Yet another cracking morning on the marsh

Skern

Little Ringed Plover on the Skern, Northam this morning, with Ringed Plovers. Photo by Steve Hatch.

Lundy Pics

Some mouth-watering photos from Derren Fox.

The Osprey and Red-rumped Swallow taken yesterday, with a Golden Oriole from today...

Haldon Hill

A Turtle Dove was on wires near the Texaco Garage on Haldon Hill mid-afternoon.  [David Bradford]

Exminster Marshes

A wander round this afternoon produced one Hobby (only!) over the lagoon area, 2 Grasshopper Warblers (one up the path by the Lions Rest Estate and another canal-side between fishermans car park and motorway bridge), 32 Wheatears, a Whinchat, a Bar-headed Goose near the S bends, c. 100 Swifts, hundreds of Swallows and Sand Martins but few House Martins, a single drake Shoveler and several Reed and Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats and Blackcaps.  

Bowling green marsh

Watched from the hide 16:20 till 18:00 Several hundred swallow, sand Martins, house martins but no swifts. Also 9 greenshank, 18 black tailed godwits,4 whimbrel, 8+ sedge warbler, 4+ reed warbler, 4 reed buntings,2 shoveler, 20+ shelduck, 2 tufted duck. On walk back to topsham had a hobby flying north over the river exe

Exmouth

Mudbank - 1930 - iceland gull, probably a first-winter, with large gull roost this evening. Also 40+ whimbrel and c150+ black-headed gull.
Orcombe Point - 0535 and 1530 - a reasonably good fall with 10+ blackcap, 18+ wheatear, 8 whinchat (much higher numbers than usual this spring), 4+ chiffchaff, 9+ willow warbler, 2 lesser whitethroat, 18+ whitethroat, 1 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 2 yellow wagtail and 1 redstart. Note some of the blackcap and whitethroat and probably all chiffies will be breeders. Also c20+ swallow, 4 sand martin, 4 house martin, 10 swift (all east), 1+ whimbrel, 3 great crested grebe, 3 common tern and 4 eider.
3/5 - a small number of migrants on Orcombe Point included 1 grasshopper warbler, 1 garden warbler and 1 lesser whitethroat. Good numbers of waders off Mudbank included 25+ grey plover, 5+ knot and 62+ bar-tailed godwit.

Berry Head

Late afternoon update, 2 Redstart (both female), 9 Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher, 15 Whitethroat, 7 Willow Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat between the carpark & Southern Fort.

Start Point

08:00-14:00. Mod. NE wind. Brighter and sunnier after midday.

Whimbrel, Tawny Owl,Yellow Wagtail, Redstart, 14 Wheatear, 3 Sedge Warbler, 7 Blackcap, 30+ Whitethroat ( some of this number now resident ), Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler, 7 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, Firecrest (very late spring bird Start Farm ), Pied Flycatcher and 6 Spotted Flycatcher.

Bolberry Down/Southdown Farm

Six spotted flycatchers heralds major arrival.
Also:  16 wheatear, 3 sedge warbler and a steady trickle of three species of hirundines.

English Channel

Yesterday out on an angling boat approx 40nm SE of Start Point: 5 European Storm-petrels, 1 Pomarine Skua, 1 Bonxie, 50+ commic Terns moving up channel (of closer birds see all were Common Tern), still good numbers of Lesser black-backs and Fulmars. Migrant passerines crossing the channel included a trickle of Swallows, 2 Swifts and 35 Whimbel.



European Storm-petrel



European Storm-petrel



Common Tern



Rillage Point to Watermouth

06.15-09.15 An almost still morning for a change; heavily overcast with just a gentle E breeze. A 1st-summer Mediterranean Gull (scarce here), 35 Whimbrels (dividing their time between the rocky foreshore and the first fairway of Ilfracombe Golf Course!), 7 Dunlins, 15 Wheatears, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Tree Pipits, 1 or 2 Grasshopper Warblers, at least 20 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 10 Blackcaps, 95 Swallows, 3 House Martins and 15 Swifts. 55 Kittiwakes, all heading E again. Yesterday evening (3rd) 1 Spotted Flycatcher (first of year for the patch), plus six Harbour Porpoises close-in and 10 Gannets feeding amongst them.

Lundy 3 May update

...and a Red-rumped Swallow topped off a rather good day for those fortunate enough to have been there! Derren Fox reports that it settled briefly in St John's Valley yesterday evening, allowing him to get a photo or two.

Exminster Marshes early AM

Second-summer Iceland gull again plus LRP, Med Gull, a good wader roost (inc. 120 dunlin & 131 whimbrel) and a fresh smattering of warblers & chats including grasshopper warbler, lesser whitethroat and wheatears

Berry Head

0630hrs-0815hrs: 10 Wheatear, 3 Tree Pipit, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 20 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Redstart, 11 Blackcaps, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Whimbrel, 16 Swallow, 7 House Martin, 1 Sand Martin, and 24 Swift >E.

Berry Head

Arrived early to do a seawatch and look for grounded migrants. Very surprised to find a 1W Caspian Gull on the ground near the seawatching point at 07.00, it then flew to nearby rocks and was watched at close range for 10-15 minutes, plumage and structure spot-on for classic 1W Caspian. Little moving on the sea and few grounded migrants despite the overnight rain. I continued on a tour of the SE Devon hotspots and clocked up 112 species for the day.

Exminster marsh

Another fantastic day on the marsh arrived 14:35 watched till 19:30 and as John said station road passable bare feet was rather cold had to be done. The 2nd summer Iceland gull was this evening viewable from the canal path under the motorway bridge from 18:45 till 19:15 with large group of herring gulls The highlight for me today was the thousands of swallow sand Martin house martins and swifts the place was alive, 5 hobby 4 over the marsh and 1 over the countess wear sewage works 19:25, 4 yellow wagtails (2m,2f) in field by the s-bends, a short eared owl flew along the canal at the fishermans car park towards the motorway bridge, a grasshopper warbler reeling by the s-bends was heard again along canal path towards the motorway bridge in addition to John on the waders I had 8+ ringed plover, a group of 40+ Dunlin north, 3 whitethroat, missed an osprey, 5 Reed bunting, 7 Reed warbler 3 cetti's, 4 sedge warbler, 4 wigeon, 5 tufted duck, 4 wheatear, kestrel and 2 buzzards The summer plumage grey plover were fantastic

Thurlestone Bay

A fairly quiet day until 17.00 when Bob B phoned to say a cracking male Garganey on South Huish Marsh.

Earlier in the Bay 3 Great N Diver, 1 Red T Diver, 125 Whimbrel, 7 Bar T Godwiit, 1 Dunlin , 1 Sanderling, 1 Curlew, 6 Turnstone

Good passage of Hirundines this morning