Another look at the Exminster Marshes again today turned up to be a good move again ! as while I was looking at a Glossy Ibis a Pectoral Sandpiper dropped into view , it stayed all afternoon but for the first hour it was very hard to see in the long grass but it then came out & showed quite well to all the other birders that had turned up to see it !
Also seen were the 2 male & a female Garganey that was seen yesterday along with the Avocet , a fly over Hobby & numerous Reed & Cetti`s Warbler`s
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Monday, 28 May 2012
The Exminster Marshes
An afternoon look at the Exminster Marshes got me the male Garganey that has been around a few days but I also found another male bird with a female , Im not sure if its the same birds that were here a few weeks ago or new ones just in , also seen was a single Avocet , 3 male Pochard , a single Hobby & quite a few Reed Warbler , and along the path beside the railway line a few Green Veined White Butterflies were showing well , I then had a look at the Powderham Marsh & saw the Black-Winged Stilt but it was very distant .
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Red Kites
This morning I found 2 Red Kites the first one was over the A30 near Okehampton at around 9 o/c & the second one was at the bottom of Haldon Hill at 10.20 both birds were just hovering over the roads , fantastic birds to see !!! In the afternoon I went over to the Exminster Marshes & saw 4 Hobby , a Peregrine Falcon & a male Garganey , there was also a lot of Azure Damselfly & a few Large Red Damselfly .
Friday, 11 May 2012
Black Redstart
I arrived at the Exminster Marshes at 6.30 this morning & decided to do the full loop of the lower marsh & I saw the 2 male & a female Garganey , 6 Hobby were sat around the marsh on gates & posts , the sky was full of Sand Martin & House Martin with a few Swift & Swallow in with them , the walk down to the Turf Hotel got me a few Cetti`s , Reed & Sedge Warblers , 5 Blackcap & 4 Chiffchaff , but the bird of the day was a female Black Redstart that I found in a field just past the Turf Hotel where there is a big pile of earth & stones & the bird was sat on both of these , this is a first for me on the marshes & a very welcome tick !!
Thursday, 10 May 2012
A Good Hours Birding
I had a look at the Exminster Marshes again this morning between 7.30-8.30 & saw the 2 male & a female Garganey again only this time they were all together , it was light drizzle & there were numerous Swift buzzing around & also a lot of hirundines , 2 Hobby were sat on fences beside the road & Reed & Sedge warblers were showing well .
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Pectoral Sandpiper
A look around the Exminster Marshes in crap weather this morning turned out very good ! it started with the 3 Garganey from yesterday still showing well this morning & as I was looking at one of them a Yellow Wagtail went over , the sky was full of Swifts & Swallows & I thought that was going to be it !!! when a Pectoral Sandpiper was found quite near the fishermans car park , good scope views were had of the bird but it was a long way off to get a decent shot of it but I took this one anyway ! its the smaller bird on the edge of the water , a few other birders turned up to see it but after a while all the waders took to flight put up by a Cuckoo .
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Garganey
Today I caught up with Garganey on the Exminster Marshes with 2 male & a female showing quite well by the middle car park , there wasn`t a lot else to see ! but a 1st summer Iceland Gull , 4 Hobby , 2 Swift , a Swallow & 2 Reed Warbler all seen in half an hour wasn`t bad .
Monday 7th May . 2012
WHAT A DAY !!!
I went down to Dawlish Warren this morning to look for a reported Cuckoo ! I arrived to be told that there was 12 Pomarine Skua sat on the sea , 10 light phase , 1 dark phase & 1 intermediate , a great sight to see these birds all together ! I then went off to Warren point to look for the Cuckoo but had only just got there when I got a call telling me that a Nightjar had been found in Dead Dolphin Wood so I shot back there & got good views of it , it was a female bird & an Exe Estuary tick for me ! but that wasn`t all because as we were looking at the bird a male Golden Oriole called from the trees behind us !! 2 birders were able to run out & saw the bird flying through the wood but it was never seen again after that ! then a look at the sea got me 4 Arctic Tern , 10 Sandwich Tern & a 2nd summer Iceland Gull , other birds seen today were numerous Whitethroat , 4 Stonechat & a Great Spotted Woodpecker , also seen were 4 Wall Brown Butterflies , but no Cuckoo LOL .
I went down to Dawlish Warren this morning to look for a reported Cuckoo ! I arrived to be told that there was 12 Pomarine Skua sat on the sea , 10 light phase , 1 dark phase & 1 intermediate , a great sight to see these birds all together ! I then went off to Warren point to look for the Cuckoo but had only just got there when I got a call telling me that a Nightjar had been found in Dead Dolphin Wood so I shot back there & got good views of it , it was a female bird & an Exe Estuary tick for me ! but that wasn`t all because as we were looking at the bird a male Golden Oriole called from the trees behind us !! 2 birders were able to run out & saw the bird flying through the wood but it was never seen again after that ! then a look at the sea got me 4 Arctic Tern , 10 Sandwich Tern & a 2nd summer Iceland Gull , other birds seen today were numerous Whitethroat , 4 Stonechat & a Great Spotted Woodpecker , also seen were 4 Wall Brown Butterflies , but no Cuckoo LOL .
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Curlew Sandpiper
A look at the Exminster Marshes this morning got me my first Curlew Sandpiper of the year , there was also numerous Dunlin & Whimbrel , 14 Grey Plover including 3 in summer plumage , 2 summer plumage Knot , 2 Ringed Plover , a male Pintail , 2 Hobby , 14 Wheatear , 10 Swift , numerous House Martin , Sand Martin & Swallow .
Friday, 4 May 2012
A new Lesser Whitethroat
An early morning visit to the Exminster Marshes got me 200+ House Martin , 100+ Swallow , 50+ Sand Martin , only a single female Wheatear was seen today , Sedge Warbler`s were everywhere but only 2 Reed Warbler were seen , a count of 15 Blackcap is not bad for the marshes as was a Grasshopper Warbler heard but not seen , I then found a new Lesser Whitethroat that was singing its head off along the small path by the middle car park & to top it all was this Osprey that was flying north over the canal .
Thursday 3rd May . 2012
This morning I saw a Dipper at the Mill On The Exe in Exeter & its the first time that I have seen one there ! in the late afternoon I went to the Exminster Marshes where I saw 2 Hobby , an Osprey that was carrying a fish , 3 Wheatear , 2 Yellow Wagtail & numerous hirundines .
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Iceland Gull on Exminster Marsh
I was up at first light this morning & the first thing that I saw was a fox crossing Topsham Road at 5 . 35 , the next stop was the the very flooded Exminster Marshes where I saw this Lesser Whitethroat ok but getting a shot of it was something else !! also seen was a Garden Warbler not easy to get on the marshes , 6 Wheatear , 3 Whitethroat , a single Hobby that was sat on one of the pylons , as was a male Peregrine Falcon , also seen was a Slow Worm & my first Grass Snake of the year , I then went back home only to hear that there was an Iceland Gull showing by the moterway bridge & as it was a site tick for me !! over I went again & got this nice shot of it .
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
A bit of a fall !!!
This afternoon I went down to Orcombe Point as I had heard that there were a few birds on show including a female Pied Flycatcher , I parked at the top of Gore Lane & walked the fields down to Orcombe Point on the way seeing a male Whinchat , a Garden Warbler , a Reed Warbler & 2 Sedge Warbler , I arrived at the spot where the flycatcher was last seen & at first there was no sign of it anywhere but then a bird shot out flycatching & when it landed to my amazement it was a stunning male Pied Flycatcher !!! four other birders managed to see it before it flew into the campground & was lost from view .
I then went up to the top fields & saw another male & 2 female Whinchat , 2 male & 2 female Redstart , 3 Wheatear , 3 Whitethroat , a male Blackcap & numerous Swallow , a superb afternoons birding !!!
I then went up to the top fields & saw another male & 2 female Whinchat , 2 male & 2 female Redstart , 3 Wheatear , 3 Whitethroat , a male Blackcap & numerous Swallow , a superb afternoons birding !!!
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