Well another birding year comes to a close ! I didn`t see as many birds as last year but I can complain as I added two new birds to my British list with them being Brown Booby and Paddyfield Pipit .
And I also added Dark-Eyed Junco and Bluethroat to my county list .
So lets hope for more good birding in 2020 and a very Happy New Year to all my readers .
I have just changed my computer system and as you can see with the Paddyfield Pipit shot it is taking a bit of getting used too lol .
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
Monday, 23 December 2019
Bowling Green Marsh
My look at Bowling Green Marsh again today did not get me a lot different than yesterday as the water on the marsh is very deep and nearly up to the top of the marker post so its more like a lake and the most that we are getting is wildfowl and hardly any waders at all , with the best being today the long staying Long-Billed Dowitcher that has been with us for 3 months now , also seen were a male and female Greater Scaup , a male Common Pochard and around a dozen Northern Pintail and away from the Mariana Trench lol ....there was a Mistle Thrush and a Song Thrush a bird that is becoming quite scarce on the marsh now .
Sunday, 22 December 2019
Long-Billed Dowitcher
A report this morning of a Great Bittern on Bowling Green Marsh saw me making my way there to see if I could catch up with it as I have only ever seen one on the marsh and it still stays at one as I put in 3 hours there with no luck .
But the long staying Long-Billed Dowitcher was showing close to the hide so that made up for it a bit lol , also seen was the male Greater Scaup , a male Common Pochard and a male Eurasian Sparrowhawk .
But the long staying Long-Billed Dowitcher was showing close to the hide so that made up for it a bit lol , also seen was the male Greater Scaup , a male Common Pochard and a male Eurasian Sparrowhawk .
Friday, 20 December 2019
Not a Lot !
Not a lot a lot of birding to report lately but I saw a Barn Owl today near Tedburn St Mary and as it was my first in Devon this year it was very welcome .
Monday, 16 December 2019
Greater Scaup
This morning the male and female Greater Scaup came closer to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh than they have done before so I grabbed the chance to be able to get these better shots of them .
Also on the marsh today was a male Common Pochard , 3 male and a female Tufted Duck , 10 Northern Pintail , 19 Pied Avocet , 4 Common Greenshank , 2 Water Rail , 2 Stock Dove and a Grey Wagtail .
I then went to the Riverside Country Park in Exeter to look for some Bearded Reedling that have been reported there and I got a quick view of a male bird as it flew out of one reedbed into another , also seen was another Water Rail and a Common Chiffchaff ,
Also on the marsh today was a male Common Pochard , 3 male and a female Tufted Duck , 10 Northern Pintail , 19 Pied Avocet , 4 Common Greenshank , 2 Water Rail , 2 Stock Dove and a Grey Wagtail .
I then went to the Riverside Country Park in Exeter to look for some Bearded Reedling that have been reported there and I got a quick view of a male bird as it flew out of one reedbed into another , also seen was another Water Rail and a Common Chiffchaff ,
Sunday, 15 December 2019
Ducks
The day started off with a few Redwing in the cemetery grounds in Topsham . I then took a look at Bowling Green Marsh where the most birds I saw were ducks , with numerous Eurasian Wigeon , Common Teal and Northern Shoveler , there were also quite a few Northern Pintal , 8 Tufted Duck , a male Common Pochard and a 1st winter male Greater Scaup , there was not much else to talk about except this stunning male Eurasian Bullfinch .
Friday, 13 December 2019
Bowling Green Marsh
My look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me the male Common Pochard , a 1st winter male and female Greater Scaup , 2 male and 2 female Tufted Duck , 2 Common Snipe , and my first view of the long staying Long-Billed Dowitcher for quite a while , also seen were 4 Redwing , a Mistle Thrush and a bit of exotica with 2 fly through Black Swan .
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Woodpeckers
Early this morning this female European Green Woodpecker came into my garden and fed under the apple tree for quite a while . I then went down to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh to do some birding as it was pouring down with rain . And I managed to see 5 Greylag Geese , 2 Greater Scaup , 2 male and 2 female Tufted Duck , a male Common Pochard , 2 Stock Dove and 2 Eurasian Jay .
Later in the day a male Great Spotted Woodpecker came into the garden to feed on the nuts , I am still living in hope that the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker returns but there has been no luck so far .
Later in the day a male Great Spotted Woodpecker came into the garden to feed on the nuts , I am still living in hope that the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker returns but there has been no luck so far .
Sunday, 8 December 2019
Brrrrrrrrrr
An hour spent on the Exminster Marshes today in the wind and rain got me 100+ Canada Geese , 3 Barnacle Geese , a Snow Goose of unknown origin , 100+ Eurasian Wigeon , 50+ Eurasian Curlew.....And quite Cold .
Saturday, 7 December 2019
Lesser Spot !
This morning around 9.30 I was sat in my dining room when my attention was drawn to the apple tree in my garden and to my amazement there in the tree was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker , I was in shock for short while taking it in !! I then dashed for my camera but I got back only to see it being flushed from the tree by 5 or 6 Western Jackdaws who come into my garden daily and take all the feed , it then flew from my garden to a tall tree at the back of my house , I searched for it for about an hour with no luck but a lot of the gardens are unapproachable , I hope that it returns again as I have been in my house since 91 and have never had a sniff of a LSW before today and never even thought that they were in the area . Only to be told that one was claimed on Bowling Green Marsh a few year ago , also one was seen by Riversmeet House before I started birding in 85 , so as you can see it is a very rare bird in this area....or so we think !!!
As I could not get a shot of it I did this pen and ink drawing of it , I am no artist but I did my best lol .
As I could not get a shot of it I did this pen and ink drawing of it , I am no artist but I did my best lol .
Thursday, 5 December 2019
BGM
A look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me slim pickings with only 8 Greylag Geese , a Greater Scaup , 3 male and a female Tufted Duck , 2 male and a female Northern Pintail and a male Eurasian Bullfinch . And at the bottom of Bowling Green Hill , 2 Mistle Thrush were feeding on the mistletoe in the tall tree .
Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Slow
The birding was quite slow on Bowling Green Marsh this morning with only the following birds seen , 10 Greylag Goose , 2 male and a female Tufted Duck , the Greater Scaup that has been around a few days , a Common Kingfisher , a Stock Dove and this female Eurasian Sparrowhawk that put everything up as it flew into the marsh .
