Tuesday, 24 November 2015
Egyptian Goose
A look at the cemetery grounds in Topsham this morning got me 100+ Redwing and 2 Fieldfare , I then went for a look around the Darts Farm Reserve in Topsham and saw 2 Egyptian Geese , a large flock of finches that were very mobile consisted of mainly European Greenfinch and Goldfinch , around 20+ Common Chaffinch , 20+ Common Linnet and a few Meadow Pipit but the highlight was a couple of sightings of Brambling but it could have been the same bird as I never saw two together !!
Monday, 16 November 2015
More Thrushes
I got up this morning and looked out of the window at the Cemetery Grounds that are next to my house and saw that there was a fall of thrushes so I grabbed my bins and camera and went for a look , the most numerous bird were Redwing with around 150 seen , there was also 20+ Fieldfare , 7 Common Blackbird and a Song Thrush .
I then had a look around the grounds and saw a Eurasian Nuthatch , 6 European Greenfinch , 4 European Goldfinch , 3 Common Chaffinch , 10 Goldcrest , and a flock of around 150+ Common Wood Pigeon flew over !
I then had a look around the grounds and saw a Eurasian Nuthatch , 6 European Greenfinch , 4 European Goldfinch , 3 Common Chaffinch , 10 Goldcrest , and a flock of around 150+ Common Wood Pigeon flew over !
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Not a lot about !
On a dull overcast morning ( Its been like that for a while now ) I went for a look around the firing range area of Woodbury Common in hope of seeing a Great Grey Shrike or a Hen Harrier but no such luck today with the best birds being a couple of Dartford Warbler`s , also seen were a 3 Meadow Pipit , 5 Fieldfare and a single Redwing .
On the way back home I had a quick look at the Clyst Estuary and saw 20+ Black Headed Gull , a Water Rail and a Rock Pipit a bird that you don't see this far up very often !!
On the way back home I had a quick look at the Clyst Estuary and saw 20+ Black Headed Gull , a Water Rail and a Rock Pipit a bird that you don't see this far up very often !!
Monday 9th November
Eurasian Crag Martin
A long trip today up to Chesterfield in Derbyshire for a Eurasian Crag Martin got me a very brief view of the bird at 1.25 pm as it flew around the spire of St Marys & All Saints Church and then headed off to the right and was lost from view , we gave until 4pm to see if it would return but had no luck , I have seen these birds before in Majorca and Turkey but this was my first one in Britain .
A long trip today up to Chesterfield in Derbyshire for a Eurasian Crag Martin got me a very brief view of the bird at 1.25 pm as it flew around the spire of St Marys & All Saints Church and then headed off to the right and was lost from view , we gave until 4pm to see if it would return but had no luck , I have seen these birds before in Majorca and Turkey but this was my first one in Britain .
Friday, 6 November 2015
European Serin still on show !
I had a quick stop at Bowling Green Marsh this morning and saw a 100+ Black-Tailed Godwit , the birds that we get on the marsh are of the race Islandica and are always nice to see , also seen was a male Common Kestrel and a Common Gull .
With heavy drizzle starting to fall I went down to Warren View in Exmouth to look for the European Serin but there was no sign of the bird and after a while my old birding mate Butch Davis turned up and we were soon reminiscing about past birding trips.....Good Times , I was just about to head for home with no sign of the Serin at all and had just opened the car door when Butch called me back and said that he had the bird but by the time I got there the bird shot into cover again out of the rain but it soon came out again giving good views but with the rain starting to fall heavier now we decided it was time to head for home .
With heavy drizzle starting to fall I went down to Warren View in Exmouth to look for the European Serin but there was no sign of the bird and after a while my old birding mate Butch Davis turned up and we were soon reminiscing about past birding trips.....Good Times , I was just about to head for home with no sign of the Serin at all and had just opened the car door when Butch called me back and said that he had the bird but by the time I got there the bird shot into cover again out of the rain but it soon came out again giving good views but with the rain starting to fall heavier now we decided it was time to head for home .
Monday, 2 November 2015
No sign of the European Serin
I had another look for the European Serin this morning but there was no sign of it today but there was a large flock of European Greenfinch and Goldfinch , a few Meadow Pipit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker .
I then had a look at the Exe Estuary for the Black Brant but I missed that also ! there were numerous Dark Bellied Brent Goose and 3 Pale Bellied Brent Goose , around 300+ Eurasian Wigeon and 30+ Northern Pintail .
I then had a look at the Exe Estuary for the Black Brant but I missed that also ! there were numerous Dark Bellied Brent Goose and 3 Pale Bellied Brent Goose , around 300+ Eurasian Wigeon and 30+ Northern Pintail .
Sunday, 1 November 2015
A late add on to todays birding !
I had a late text at 4pm telling me that the Ridgway`s Cackling Goose was on my local patch Bowling Green Marsh so I dashed down to get it before the light had gone , as its a potential 1st for the marsh !!
Sorry about the quality of the photo but the light was dropping fast .
Sorry about the quality of the photo but the light was dropping fast .
Winter Thrushes
On a dull early autumn morning there was a fall of winter thrushes in the grounds of the Topsham Cemetery with 100+ Redwing , 9 Fieldfare a single Mistle Thrush and a few Common Blackbird , there was not a lot else to see though with only a couple of European Robin , a Eurasian Nuthatch and a few Goldcrest .
