Monday 27th February

 A trip out today with Sue to the Slimbridge WWT in Gloucestershire in hope of catching up with a few of the birds that are there at the moment . And we managed to see 20+ Bewick `s Swan , the Ross`s Goose that was out in fields by the estuary along with 100+ Barnacle Geese , 4 Greater White-Fronted Goose and 4 Common Crane .

We then saw a nice Water Rail on our way to South Lake where the White-Rumped Sandpiper showed after a long wait . Also seen were quite a few Common Pochard , 2 Pied Avocet and 4 Black-Tailed Godwit .  

Bewick`s Swan ( Cygnus columbianus ) . Slimbridge WWT . Gloucestershire

 

Ross`s Goose ( Chen rossii ) . Slimbridge WWT . Gloucestershire

 

Water Rail ( Rallus aquaticus ) . Slimbridge WWT . Gloucestershire

 

Friday 24th February

 A look around Ideford Common this morning got me all the usual birds around the feeders with Great Spotted Woodpecker , Eurasian Nuthatch , Blue Tit , Great Tit , Coal Tit and Long-Tailed Tit and also seen in the trees nearby was this Eurasian Treecreeper my first of the year .

And out on the common there was a Dartford Warbler and a Common Raven .

Eurasian Treecreeper ( Certhia familiaris ) . Ideford Common . Devon

 

 

Distant Views

I had a look for the Greater Scaup on the Exe Estuary this morning that has been on the Estuary for quite a while but I have only just managed to catch up with it .

I got it off of Lympstone but as you can see the views were quite distant . It was hanging around with some Red-Breasted Merganser for most of the time .

Greater Scaup ( Aythya marila ) . The Exe Estuary . Devon

 

Saturday 18th

 A trip down to Cornwall today with the 1st stop near Boscegran to look  for 2 Little Bunting and after a bit of a search the 2 birds showed very well for a short while . We then headed for the Lands End area to look for Red-Billed Chough and after quite a walk around the headland we got 2 of them right back where we had started at Lands End lol . There was also Northern Gannet and Common Guillemot....my 1st of the year 👀

We then went to the Hale Estuary in hope of seeing American Herring Gull but our luck was out as it was there but we just could not catch up with it . But there was plenty of Mediterranean Gull and Common Gull , an adult Ring-Billed Gull and a 1st winter and 2 adult Caspian Gull .

Little Bunting ( Emberiza pusilla ) . Boscegran . Cornwall

 

 

Ring-Billed Gull ( Larus delawarensis ) . The Hale Estuary . Cornwall

 

 

Caspian Gull ( Larus cachinnans ) . Adult . The Hale Estuary . Cornwall

 

Caspian Gull ( Larus cachinnans ) . 1st winter . The Hale Estuary . Cornwall

 

Purple Sandpiper

 I went down to Exmouth this morning to look for Purple Sandpiper on Maer Rocks and I managed to see 4 of them just as the tide had started to cover the rocks . There was also a single Ruddy Turnstone and 12 Dark Bellied Brent Geese .

On the way home I stopped off at Bowling Green Marsh but 2 juvenile European Spoonbill were the only birds of any note .

Purple Sandpiper ( Calidris maritima ) . Maer Rocks . Exmouth . Devon

 

 

 

Tuesday 14th February

 Another trip out with Andy and Ken saw us heading for Dorchester Water Meadows as the day before a Ross`s Gull had been seen there . But after much searching there was no sign of the bird today and the best we saw were a couple of Mediterranean Gulls .

So we headed off to Wyke Regis in hope of seeing the Richard`s Pipit that has been showing there for a while and this time we were in luck as the bird showed in front of us briefly before flying off to another field .

We then spent some time around Portland Harbour area and we saw a male and 3 female Common Eider , 5 Black-Necked Grebe and a male and 2 female Black Redstart . The day was then finished off at Portland Bill with 2 Little Owls .

Richard`s Pipit ( Anthus richardi ) . Wyke Regis . Dorset

 

 

 

Black Redstart ( Phoenicurus ochruros ) . Chesil Cove . Dorset

 

Brandy Head . Devon

I went to Brandy Head this morning and did a sea watch and I saw 20+ Red-Throated Diver , 2 Northern Fulmar , 3 Razorbill and 20+ European Shag ,

Nearby I saw 5 Cirl Bunting and 2 Common Raven .

Northern Fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis ) . Brandy Head . Devon

 

 

Wednesday 8th February

 Another trip out with Ken and Andy but this time our destination was Somerset with out first stop at Barrow Gurney which got us a very nice male Long-Tailed Duck . We then went to the Ham Wall area as Andy wanted to see the female Lesser Scaup that had moved there from Noah`s Lake . Also seen were 4 Western Marsh Harrier and 3 Great White Egret .                                                                                            Our next stop was at Shapwick Heath where after a bit of wait we got nice views of the male American Wigeon that is wintering there .

The day was finished off with 8 Whooper Swan and 2 Common Crane on Curry Moor .

American Wigeon ( Anas americana ) . Shapwick Heath . Somerset

 

 

Fog

 I woke up this morning to find Topsham covered in Fog . But I still decided to go out to see if there was anything about at Bowling Green Marsh but all that I could see were 20+ Common Shelduck , 2 male Northern Pintail and a very strange Northern Shoveler / Common Eider hybrid !

I then walked down the lane towards the viewing platform and on the way I saw 2 Winter Wren and a male Eurasian Bullfinch . At the platform the fog was very thick but I could pick out a couple of Pied Avocet and a Spotted Redshank . So I then carried on walking through the fog towards Topsham and at the quay there was another or the same Spotted Redshank feeding with a few Black-Tailed Godwit ! 

Spotted Redshank ( Tringa erythropus ) . Topsham Quay . Devon

 

 

 

Western Marsh Harrier

The bird of today was a high flying Western Marsh Harrier that flew over Bowling Green Marsh and out over Goosemoor . Also see were 300+ Dark Bellied Brent Geese , a few Northern Pintail and Tufted Duck ,  Common Snipe , Grey Wagtail , male and female Common Stonechat and a male Eurasian Bullfinch .  

Western Marsh Harrier ( Circus aeruginosus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

1st February 2023

 Local Birding

A trip out with Sue to Stover Park this morning to see if we could catch up with a few woodland birds and we had a bit of luck with a few Eurasian Nuthatch , a single Great Spotted Woodpecker , Stock Dove . Long-Tailed Tit , Coal Tit and a very illusive Marsh Tit .

Out on the lake were a few Great Crested Grebe , a male and female Mandarin and some Great Cormorant were sat in trees around the lake .

Our last stop of the day was at that Teign Estuary to look for an Hooded Crow a bird that is extremely hard to catch up with down here in Devon . The view was quite distant but still good to see !

Mandarin . ( Aix galericulata ) . Stover Park . Devon

 

Tuesday 31st January

 Sabine`s Gull

A trip out to Hampshire today with Ken and Andy in hope of seeing the adult Sabine`s Gull that has been showing at Budds Farm in Havant .

We arrived too find out that the bird was not on show but that it had been seen earlier before we got there . So we had a look at a couple of sites with no joy . But then we were told that we were looking in the wrong place and told where the bird was being seen , so we headed out along the sea wall and met up with other birders who were looking at the bird . And there it was in all its glory a stunning adult bird in full summer plumage .

We got great views of the bird feeding on the ground and in flight so we headed back towards the car only to have the bird fly in front of us and then land just in front of our feet . We watched for a while just thinking how lucky we were .

Sabine`s Gull ( Xema sabini ) . Budds Farm . Havent . Hampshire