Saturday, 29 April 2023
Birding Dorset
We started the day off at Lydlinch Common but we only saw Garden Warbler and Blackcap there . We then carried on to a private site where we saw 3 Common Nightingale and a Song Thrush .
Our next stop was at the Ham Wall RSPB Reserve and the first bird we saw was Garden Warbler and we managed to see 5 of them . We then went to look for a reported Great Reed Warbler and after a bit of a wait we heard the bird singing and then it flew and we got a very short view of it perched on a reed allowing me to get this very quick shot of it .
Also seen were 3 Great White Egret , 10 Whimbrel , 4 Western Marsh Harrier , 3 Eurasian Hobby , 12 Common Swift , Cetti`s Warbler everywhere and 3 Lesser Redpoll .
Thursday, 27 April 2023
Wednesday 26th April
Down to Exmouth this morning to have a look at Lyme Bay and it turned out to be a really good move as I saw 3 species of Tern with 10 Sandwich Tern , 3 Common Tern and a nice Arctic Tern that flew in and landed on one of the buoys . Also seen were a few Northern Gannet & Black-Legged Kittiwake and 8 Common Scoter flew through .
I then had a look around the fields and saw a Common Skylark , 2 Common Whitethroat , 6 Common Linnet and a female Cirl Bunting .
Also seen was a superb show of Green-Winged Orchid one of Exmouth`s Speciality .
Monday, 24 April 2023
A Quick Look
A quick look around the Haldon Forest near Exeter got me European Green Woodpecker , Great Spotted Woodpecker , Song Thrush , Willow Warbler , Common Chiffchaff and a male Blackcap .
I then had a look at the Exminster Marshes but all that I saw were 3 European Spoonbill , Sedge Warbler and European Reed Warbler .
Thursday, 20 April 2023
Wednesday19th April
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Little Bittern
The good birds continue with todays bird an amazing adult Little Bittern found on the Exminster Marshes early in the morning by one of the RSPB staff .
I arrived and found two other birders there but there was sign of the bird so we spread out and started looking for it and about an hour later a call went up that it was showing as it crept through the reeds and lucky enough it showed for a short while in a small gap in the reeds .
This is only my third one in Devon . With a juvenile on the Exeter Canal and an adult bird seen near Cockwood .
Monday 17th April
A trip up to Somerset today to look for a Pectoral Sandpiper that has been seen there . We started looking for it with no luck and 4 hours later we were still looking when someone asked us if we were looking for the Pec and he said he had it and soon put us on to it .
Other birds seen included numerous Pied Avocet , 8 Little Ringed Plover , 2 White Wagtail , 3 Northern Wheatear , 2 Cetti`s Warbler and 3 more new birds for the year with Yellow Wagtail , European Reed Warbler and Short-Eared Owl .
Sunday, 16 April 2023
Black-Winged Stilt
This morning I went out to Yarner Wood where I saw a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker , a Great Spotted Woodpecker , a male Pied Flycatcher and 3 male Blackcap .
Later in the day news came out of a Black-Winged Stilt showing on Black Hole Marsh near Seaton so three of us decided to go for it and our luck was in as it was still showing when we got there . There has been quite a few of these birds in the country this spring , so we all had fingers crossed that one would make its way to Devon .
Friday, 14 April 2023
Black-Crowned Night Heron
A quick trip down to Newton Abbot this afternoon to look for the Black-Crowned Night Heron that has been on show at Jetty Marsh NR and as you can see the bird showed very well . For the last couple of years we have seen these birds at Slapton Ley so it was very nice to have one closer to home .
Many Thanks Paul .
Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Yarner Wood again
Another look at Yarner Wood today got me a nice Tree Pipit , a Mistle Thrush & male and female Common Stonechat out on the common . We then went into the wood to get out of the rain and we saw , 3 male Pied Flycatcher , Willow Warbler , Common Chiffchaff & Blackcap . We then headed back to the car before we got soaked to the skin !
Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Monday 10th April
A late afternoon trip down to South Huish in hope of seeing the Gull-Billed Tern that has been there for a few days . We arrived around 5pm and expected to get it quite quickly as it had been coming and going from the marsh all day . We waited for it for over 2 and a half hours with nothing and then decided to call it a day . We had gone quite a distance from the bird when I had a call telling me that the bird had just dropped into the marsh . So we turned the car around dashed back to the marsh and finally saw the bird at 7.55pm just as the light was fading so no chance of any shots of it 😒
Sunday, 9 April 2023
Yarner Wood
Yarner Wood on the edge of Dartmoor has been my destination for the last couple of days and I managed to see the following birds . 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker , 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Eurasian Treecreeper , Eurasian Nuthatch , a new in male Pied Flycatcher , Willow Warbler , Common Chiffchaff & Blackcap .
And out on the surrounding Heathland there was 2 Tree Pipit , a male and female Common Stonechat , Common Linnet and 4 Lesser Redpoll .
Friday, 7 April 2023
Lesser Yellowlegs
The arrival of good birds continues with todays bird a moulting adult Lesser Yellowlegs on the Otter Wetlands at Budleigh Salterton in Devon .
The bird was found yesterday by a local birder on the new flooded wetlands . And quite a few birders enjoyed nice views of it today . Other birds seen today included Grey Plover and Green Sandpiper and Willow Warbler .
I have just had one of my best weeks birding with Purple Heron , Lesser Redpoll , Forster`s Tern and Lesser Yellowlegs.... Great Birding !
Thursday, 6 April 2023
Forster`s Tern
An evening trip with my mate Andy up to Sutton Bingham Reservoir in Somerset in hope of seeing a reported American Forster`s Tern . And the trip was a very good move as we had distant views of the bird perched and in flight . This is only the 3rd time that I have been able to see one of these birds in Britain with my first one at Hayle Beach in Cornwall in 1987 and my last one was at Ferrybridge in Dorset in 1996 .
Fingers crossed for one in Devon next 😀
Wednesday 5th April
Yarner Wood
A walk around Yarner Wood this morning didn`t turn out too bad as I saw the following . 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker , 2 Mistle Thrush , 2 Common Chiffchaff , a Willow Warbler , my first Blackcap of the year , a male and female Common Stonechat , 3 Marsh Tit . Then back at the top carpark I saw the birds that I was hoping for with 4 Lesser Redpoll as I always seem to struggle to catch up with these birds .
Monday, 3 April 2023
Monday 3rd April
Purple Heron
Here are a couple of very long distance shots of yesterdays Purple Heron at the back end of the Stover Country Park . I just managed to fire off these shots before it vanished back into the the long grass again so you could say better than nothing 😒.
I also had a Red Kite over my house this morning , my 1st in Devon this year .
Sunday, 2 April 2023
Boys Day Out
A day out with the boys today in Cornwall , with our first stop at Metherall to look for the Little Bunting that seems to be wintering there . We tried for it a few days back but all we got was soaked to the skin in the pouring rain . But today the weather was better and we got nice views of the bird feeding in the plowed field along with 5 Reed Bunting and a Brambling .
Our next stop was across the border in Devon at the Lower Tamar Lake , where we saw a male and 2 female Goosander , a Eurasian Nuthatch , 2 Willow Warbler , 6 Common Chiffchaff and a nice Willow Tit .
