Start Point

Seawatch 07:30-14:00: Great Shearwater (through 09:58-10:06, close enough to see cap, dirty vent etc, must be the Berry Head bird moving rather slowly), 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 14 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Pomarine Skuas,  2 Arctic Skuas, 2 Puffins, 15 Common Scoter, juv/1w Yellow-legged Gull (attending crabber), 23 Common Terns, 5 Sandwich Terns, 1716 Manx Shearwaters.

Prawle

Seawatch today (05.45 - 13.45 - and again 16.45 - 17.45);  (all west unless stated), Cory's Shearwater at 10.40, 5 Sooty Shearwaters, 18 Balearics, 1670+ Manx, (110 east), 785 Gannets (155 east), 43 Fulmar, Storm Petrel (east), 9 Common Scoter, Great Skua, 3 Pomarine Skuas, Arctic Skua, 20+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Yellow-legged Gull (juv), 2 Sandwich Terns, 3 Guillemots, Puffin. (Also Sunfish).   Wonder where all the Common Terns went between Berry Head and Prawle ??

(with JL, IL, TM, KR and FS)

Thurlestone Bay

On Thurlestone Marsh at 07.00 a Teal and 3 Green Sandpiper.

Seawatching from Beacon Pt from 08.30 - 10.30-  250 Gannet, 6 Sandwich Tern , 9 Common Scoter, 4 Fulmar, 1 first s Pomarine Skua.  ( the Great S 'water didnot make it into the Bay )

Best of the day was a flock of over 500 Manx Shearwater feeding all morning about 300 yds offshore, Bob B and I managed to pick out at least 12 Balearic in the flock .

Fri 21.00 the Swallow roost reached a paltry 250 . at least 1 Hobby trying to cause mayhem.

Berry Hd

Seawatching 05.45-0910hrs:
1 Great Shearwater 08.50-09.00 >S slowly (then pressumably same bird >SW Start Pt just after 10am - MD,AR), 1 Large Shearwater Sp. (possible Cory's) at long range at 06.30 but way to far out to clinch id, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Balearic Shearwaters, 772 Manx, 46 Fulmar, 3 Pom Skuas, 2 Bonxies, 2 Juv Y-l Gulls, 61 Common Tern, 8 Sandwich Tern, 1 Puffin (juv), 290 Gannets, 1 Turnstone, 68 Kittiwake (only 3 juvs). Also of interest 4 Harbour Porpoise off Hd and a Humming Bird Hawkmoth on road up from Quarry.

Southcott Valley, East the Water.

08:20

1 Wood Sandpiper with 3 Green Sandpipers.

09:15 Then joined Rob Marshall at Instow for the 75 Mediterranean Gulls. (inc 1 Polish bird PAL4  and 1 Belgian bird 33L9  -- ringed 26.05.05. Also 1 green ringed bird (French or Belgian?)

Skern.

07:15

2 Mediterranean Gulls (1A, 1 2nd S); 4 Dunlin; 5 Ringed Plover; 2 Wheatear and 1 Peregrine.

Instow

75 med  gulls.38 adults,5 ss,28 fs,4 juvs.
07:00-10:00.With Maurice Clements.

Exmouth

Orcombe Point - 1630 - 2020 - 132+ manx shearwater, 5+ common scoter, 3+ arctic skua, 1+ pomarine skua, 1 great shearwater ( SW @ 1725), 4 fulmar, 6 whimbrel, 2 balearic shearwater and 1 common tern plus several gannets, kittiwakes and sandwich terns.

Instow

29 med gulls.20 adult,2 ss,6fs,juv on cicket ground and water.One adult had red ring on left leg PAL couldnt read last digit.50+ gulls flew off in different direction so could have contained more meds as numbers building.07:30

Skern

Adult med gull PAJ7 again.A female common scoter was an nice and unusual surprise.My first record i believe for the site.Also 28 pied wagtails.

Thurlestone Bay

Late news for WED 1/8- Managed to get an hours seawatching from Warren Pt from 07.50 - 160 gannet, 60 Manx Shearwater, 4 Balearic Shearwater, 10 Common Tern, 1 Bonxie.

Heavy squalls this morning which produced some of the best passge - SW4/5 wind with a good swell, again all the best birds flying east.

most of the action took place between 09.30-11.00- First were 2 Sooty Shearwater  at 09.35 wioth another at 09.56. Quickly followed at 09.56 by an ad Sabines Gull only 125 yds offshore. Also - 265 Gannet, 47 Manx Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 13 Fulmar, 6 Kittiwake, 2 Sandwich Tern, 2 Common Scoter, 1 dp Arctic Skua.

At South Milton Ley - a Groppa , 3 Sedge Warbler 1 Willow Warbler. The Spotted Flycatcher is still around

Bradiford

Now 2 Green Sandpipers from the 5-bar gate, and a juv Grey Heron.

Out on the river an adult Mediterranean Gull by Ashford Sewage works.

In the Velator reserve this morning, one of the older (juv) Little Grebes was attacking the new (tiny) ones.

Clennon Valley

3 Crossbills > W over my garden lunchtime today. Also of interest my first Jersey Tiger Moths of the year (first yesterday 1/08/12) and another today see photo.

Late posting - Med Gull Teignmouth

One day last week I was watching Black heads and Herring gulls excitedly catching flying ants low over my house off Woodway Road, Teignmouth. I picked out this Med Gull on call and managed a photo or two. A new Garden List species.

Seaton Area

45 minutes seawatching from 06:00 produced 1 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Manxies, 13 Common Scoter and a Sandwich Tern.

A juv Wood Sandpiper at Black Hole Marsh this evening.

Skern

5med gulls,4adult  inc.polish birds PAH4 and PEL5 +juv.Very quiet after yesterday

Berry Head

Seawatch 07:00-17:00. First reasonable movement of Balearic Shearwaters with 24 south, supporting cast: Sooty Shearwater, 653 Manx Shearwaters (also 100+ N), 2 European Storm-petrels, Pomarine Skua, 3 Bonxie, Arctic Skua, 33 Common Terns, 3 Sandwich Terns, 56 Common Scoter, 8 Puffins, 342 Gannets, 123 Kittiwakes (incl. 7 juvs, first of the year), 3 Black-headed Gulls, 4+ juv/1w Yellow-legged Gulls, Grey Seal and 3 Harbour Porpoise.
MD,DMN,SS,REB,JDPM

Hooligans!

They're back! 130+ Canada Geese back at Wrafton this morning. The adult male Mute Swan was busy chasing them off Wrafton pond. I finally managed to read his (the Swan's) ring number yesterday, so will submit it to BTO and find out where it was ringed.

2 Pochard still.

Meanwhile in the reserve, the Little Grebes are now feeding another brood! Their first four juvs still present.

Bowling green marsh

Watched from the hide 15:25 till 18:00

The adult spotted redshank again showed on the far side  in with 270+ black tailed godwits, 16+ greenshank, 340+ curlew , the whimbrel numbers had increase today to 22+, 8 bar tailed godwits, a juv water rail put in a brief appearance, 3 green sandpipers , 45+ little egrets was a good count, 1 wigeon, 7+ little grebe , 12+ shoveler, 5 lapwing , 3 Dunlin, 150+ redshank

Skern

23 med gulls.12 adult,4fs,2s,5  juvs.4 common tern,3ad,juv.6  whimbrel 17:30-19:00.Wood sand  still at southcott marsh.