Dartmoor

A trip out to Dartmoor this morning with the first stop at Challacombe Farm where we saw some good birds with 4 Garden Warbler , a Spotted Flycatcher , a male Common Redstart , 10 Willow Warbler and 3 Common Cuckoo . 

We then had a look around the Sousens area where there was 3 more Common Cuckoo , 2 Common Raven , a European Green Woodpecker , a male Reed Bunting and a few Whinchat

We finished the morning off looking around the Headland Warren area with a male Northern Wheatear and a male and female Whinchat showed very well .

Whinchat ( Saxicola rubetra ) . Dartmoor . Devon

 

 

 

 

American Golden Plover

 This summer plumaged American Golden Plover was found early this morning on the Exminster Marshes . So I got there as fast as I could but on arrival I was told that the bird had flown out of sight but after a bit of a wait it was then picked up again . But it always stayed on the far side of the marsh so as you can see I only managed to get this record shot of it .

Also seen were a few Common Swift , a female Wester Marsh Harrier and a partial summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper

.

American Golden Plover ( Pluvialis dominica ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Tuesday 25th May

 A trip up to Dorset today with our first stop at Lodmoor to look for a Bonaparte`s Gull that has been showing for a while now . And after a bit of a search we got nice views of the bird but it was always a bit distant to get a nice shot . Also seen was a Mediterranean Gull and European Spoonbill .

We then went out to Portland Bill where we were lucky to see a Little Owl just before the heavy rain set in . By now the rain was very heavy so we sheltered by the cafe on the bill and did a sea watch and that was a very good move as we saw a European Storm Petrel , numerous Northern Gannet , 8 Norther Fulmar , 9 Manx Shearwater , numerous Common Guillemot and a single Common Dolphin . We then headed for home stopping on route at Ferrybridge where 10 Little Tern were nice to see .

Bonaparte`s Gull ( Chroicocephalus philadelphia ) . Lodmoor . Weymouth . Dorset

 

 

Little Owl ( Athene noctua ) . Portland Bill . Dorset

 

Red-Rumped Swallow

Red-Rumped Swallow is a really rare bird here in Devon . So to get 2 inside the same month is extraordinary ! But that is what happened today with a bird seen in with a large flock of hirundine on the Exminster Marshes , in between the heavy downpours of  rain .

Red-Rumped Swallow ( Cecropis daurica ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

 

 

Friday 21st . May

 Another rough day so a sea watch from the raised beach huts at Exmouth this morning was in order again early this morning . Where the bird of the day was a Great Skua but then again not a lot else was see . With only 20+Northern Gannet , 6 Black-Legged Kittiwake , a Northern Fulmar , a single Manx Shearwater again ! and there was a very distant skua that looked like a Pom but I just couldn`t get enough on it to clinch it .

A Rough Day . Exmouth . Devon

 

Thursday 20th May

 Not a lot to report . But a sea watch this early morning in Lyme Bay at Exmouth got me numerous Northern Gannet , 5 Northern Fulmar , a fly through Little Gull , a single Manx Shearwater and a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk .

Friday 14th May

 A look around the top fields at Orcombe Point in Exmouth got me a Common Cuckoo a first for me on the site .

Also seen were 2 Common Skylark , quite a few Common Whitethroat , a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk , a Rock Pipit , a Common Raven , 16 Common Linnet and a very nice show of Green -Winged Orchid .

Rock Pipit ( Anthus petosus ) . Orcombe Point . Devon

 

Common Linnet ( Carduelis cannabina ) . Orcombe Point . Devon

 

Red-Rumped Swallow

 Late this afternoon news came out of a Red-Rumped Swallow showing over the stream in the center of Dawlish Town with other hirundines . So I got in the car and got there as fast as I could and the bird was putting on quite a show and sometimes nearly hitting the birders heads and flying low over the stream right in front of us .

What a joy to see the pleasure on the birders faces as this superb little bird put on a great show !

Red-Rumped Swallow ( Cecropis daurica ) . Dawlish . Devon

 

 

Wednesday 12th May

 The day started off at a site in Dorset where we had 3 Common Nightingale and it was very nice to get a nice brief view of one of the birds , also seen was a Garden Warbler . 

On then to Wiltshire and near Allington we had 5 Corn Bunting and a Brown Hare ,  the next stop was at Winterbourne Down where we saw 2 Stone Curlew , 2 Red-Legged Partridge , 3 Common Skylark , 2 Lesser Whitethroat and over 20 Brown Hare .

The last stop of the day was Salisbury Plain to look for Great Bustard and on our loop around the plain we saw 2 male birds . Along with another Corn Bunting and a Roe Deer .

Great Bustard ( Otis tarda ) . Salisbury Plain . Wiltshire

 

 

 

10th May . 2021

Another trip down to Newlyn Harbour to look for the 1st winter American Herring Gull that has been there for quite a while now , the only trouble is that I am no way a gull expert so I was glad that there was other birders there that put me on to the bird as it flew in the join the other gulls on the beach . A daunting job sorting out juvenile gulls so I was well pleased that others are a lot better at it than me !

American Herring Gull ( Larus smithsonianus ) . Newlyn . Cornwall

 

 

 

 

 

Wood Warbler

 I went out to Yarner Wood on the edge of Dartmoor this morning in hope of seeing a Spotted Flycatcher that had been reported there . The first place I looked at was Trendelbear Down where I saw a Northern Goshawk , a male Whinchat and a Garden Warbler .

I then went into Yarner Wood to look for Pied Flycatchers and I saw 4 male and 3 female birds and as I was walking up the main path I heard a singing male Wood Warbler on the right of the path , a very rare bird in these parts now and the first that I have come across in the woods for a few years , I then went down to the wardens cottages to report it to him and met another birder and told him about the bird and he told me that he had seen the bird earlier in the day but on the other side of the path to where I had heard it .

Also seen today were Lesser Spotted Woodpecker , Great Spotted Woodpecker , 3 Marsh Tit ,  a Eurasian Nuthatch and a male Common Redstart  ..................  But no Spotted Flycatcher !

Pied Flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca ) . Yarner Wood . Devon

 

 

Eurasian Nuthatch ( Sitta europaea ) . Yarner Wood , Devon

 

Nice Day

 A quieter day today as I took a walk around the commons near Exeter where I saw 2 Stock Dove , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , 3 Blackcap , a Garden Warbler , 2 Dartford Warbler , a Common Whitethroat and 2 Common Chiffchaff .

Dartford Warbler ( Sylvia undata ) . Commons Nr Exeter . Devon

 

 

Thursday 6th May

 Birding Somerset

A trip out with my mate Andy today with our first stop at the Ham Wall reserve and as soon as we got out of the car we heard a singing Garden Warbler and in the end we had logged 20+ of them .

We also saw 5 Great White Egret , 2 Great Bittern , numerous Blackcap , a Common Whitethroat , 6 Eurasian Hoppy , 7 Western Marsh Harrier , a nice view of 5 high flying Common Crane the first ones I have seen on this reserve . We then went across the road to the Meare Heath reserve where we saw another 20+ Eurasian Hobby and heard another booming Great Bittern .

Our last stop of the the day was at the Catcott Lows reserve where we saw a Wood Sandpiper but the views were very long distant .

Common Crane ( Grus grus ) . Ham Wall . Somerset

 

Wood Sandpiper ( Tringa glareola ) . Catcott Lows N R . Somerset

 

Wednesday 5th May

First thing this morning I went out to Dartmoor and had a look around the Challacombe Farm area and the birding was quite good as I saw . 6 Meadow pipit , 2 male Northern Wheatear , 2 Whinchat , 2 Common Buzzard , 2 male Common Redstart , a Marsh Tit and my 1st Ring Ouzel in Devon this year .

Later as I had just arrived back home my mate Andy messaged me and asked if I was interested in going for a Whiskered Tern that was on the Fleet at Abbotsbury in Dorset . So off we went with fingers crossed that it would still be on show . We got there and had to walk about half a mile on a pebbled beach ( Not good for my poor old knees lol ) But it was worth it as the bird showed well along with 100+ Common Tern and 5 Sandwich Tern ... A superb days birding !

Whiskered Tern ( Chlidonias hybrida ) . The Fleet . Abbotsbury . Dorset

 

Haldon Forest

 A look around Haldon Forest this morning did`nt turn out bad at all even though it was quite windy . As I managed to see a Peregrine Falcon , 2 pair of Common Stonechat , a nice Garden Warbler that showed very well today , 2 Tree Pipit , 8 Willow Warbler , a Common Chiffchaff and 7 Common Crossbill .

Tree Pipit ( Anthus trivialis ) . Haldon Forest . Devon

 

 

Garden Warbler ( Sylvia borin ) . Haldon Forest . Devon

 

Common Crossbill ( Loxia curvirostra ) . Haldon Forest . Devon