Ruff

Today I braved the elements and went for a look at the Exminster Marshes where it was blowing a gale and you could just about stand up let alone look for birds ! but I did manage to see the bird that I went for ( At Last ) a Ruff that was in with some Lapwings & a few Snipe , I then had a look at Bowling Green Marsh but the only bird worth talking about was this male Reed Bunting .

Reed Bunting . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 31 / 1 / 2013

28th January . 2013

This morning I went out to Stover Park for a look and I saw the following birds , a female Goosander , a Kingfisher , 2 Raven that flew over calling there heads off , a look at the feeding station then got me Nuthatch , Coal Tit & Siskin but no sign of any Treecreeper or Marsh Tit & then I saw the bird of the day a Crossbill that was sat on the trees above the visitors center .

Goosander . Stover Park . Devon . 28 / 1 / 2013

Sunday 27th January

I went away for a long weekend at Newquay in Cornwall but didn`t see many birds with only my first Gannets of the year worth talking about , but these surfers put on quite a show off the Fistral Beach .

The Surfs Up

The Elusive Bearded Tit

A trip down to Dawlish Warren today to look for the Bearded Tit that was seen yesterday , we arrived to find two birders already there & they told us that they had just had close views of the bird , so we thought that it would be easy to see .... Big Mistake we stood where the bird had been seen & after about half an hour I had a brief view of it as it flew out of the small reed bed and onto the main pool , it was then seen again but not by us ! but I did hear it did call twice but couldn`t pin it down Ughhhhhhhhhh

Hen Harrier

In the bitter cold this morning I went for a another look at the Exminster Marshes & was in luck as the female Hen Harrier showed just before ten o'clock up towards the moterway bridge , there was not a lot else to report with only Water Rail , Great Spotted Woodpecker , Chiffchaff & 3 Redwing worth talking about , I then went to Exminster Village where I saw the 1st winter Rose-Coloured Starling but it wasn`t on show for long before flying off to the gardens again .

Rose-Coloured Starling . Exminster . Devon . 20 / 1 / 2013

Curlew Sandpiper in January !!!!

Early this morning I had 2 Raven & 5 Redwing at Okehampton , later in the day I had a call telling me that there was a Curlew Sandpiper on Bowling Green Marsh , I though whattttt in January ! but went down for a look & saw it right in front of the hide with quite a lot of Dunlin , what a record well done Keith .
Also seen were 3 Pintail , a Little Grebe , 100+ of  both Avocet & Bar-Tailed Godwit & around 15+ Grey Plover .

Curlew Sandpiper . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 19 / 1 / 2013

Lesser Redpoll

I decided to go for an early morning look at the Exminster Marsh again today but all I could see was a female Merlin , so I went for a look around Dawlish Warren  & on the way there I stopped at the Powderham Estate to look for Red-Legged Partrige & I managed to see over 20 of them , at the Warren the first bird that I saw was the bird of the day a Lesser Redpoll that was in the entrance bushes ! also seen was a Green Woodpecker & a Great Spotted Woodpecker , I then walked out to the hide where I saw 12 Sanderling & numerous Grey Plover & Knot , on the way back to the car a look at the main pond got me the Black-Necked Grebe & a Little Grebe

Black-Necked Grebe . Dawlish Warren . Devon . 17 / 1 / 2013

Bittern

Early this morning I saw the long staying Little Owl in its favourite tree at Dunchideock , my next stop was at the bridge over the River Dart at Buckfastleigh & I was in luck & see 2 Dipper , later in the day I had a quick look at Woodbury Common & saw my first Dartford Warbler of the year , I then carried on to a site in East Devon where I saw not one but two Barn Owl .
My next stop was at Aylesbeare Common where I managed to get good views of a Woodcock , I then headed for home but I wasn`t in long when I got a call telling me that there was a Bittern over on the Exminster Marshes & I was lucky enough to get nice views of it , a very nice bird to end the day with !

Barn Owl . East Devon . 16 / 1 / 2013

Hawfinch

Early this morning there was a Tawny Owl calling from the Topsham Cemetery outside my house , later in the day Andy Bond & myself went up to Norton Sub Hamdon in Somerset for the Hawfinch that have been seen there for a few days & got good views of them .

Hawfinch . Norton Sub Hamdon . Somerset . 10 / 1 / 2013

9th January . 2013

Out this morning to the Otterton Sewage Works area to look for some reported Woodlark that were found the day before & it was hard work to pick them out from the large flock of Skylark that were also in the field but in the end I managed to see 5 of them , I then had a look at the sea & saw 5 Red-Throated diver & a single Guillemot & on the way home a stop off at Woodbury Common got me 10 Yellowhammer & a Raven .

8th January . 2013

Not a lot to report today but a look at my local patch Bowling Green Marsh got me 100+ Bar-Tailed Godwit , 2 Knot & my first Spotted Redshank of the year , there was also a nice looking male Sparrowhawk that put everything up quite a few times , & a look in the small copse at the top of Bowling Green Hill got me 2 male & a female Bullfinch .

Spotted Redshank . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 8 / 1 / 2013

7th January . 2013

A day out today clearing up some of the common year ticks with the best birds being as follows , Pintail & Water Rail on Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham , 10 Grey Plover on the Exe Estuary , 6 Yellowhammer & a Redwing in the top fields in Exminster & the Rose-Coloured Starling showed for a little while in the village but looked like it had just taken a bath .

Rose-Coloured Starling . Exminster . Devon . 7 / 1 / 2013

4th January . 2013

A trip out today with the first stop at Ernesettle Creek in Plymouth to look for the wintering Lesser Yellowlegs & at first there was no sign of the bird anywhere & with the tide coming in it didn`t look to good but after searching for it for over an hour we found the bird up a gulley with some Greenshank & it showed quite well but was distant , we then headed for Slapton Ley & we saw some nice birds there with 2 Black-Necked Grebe , a distant Marsh Harrier & a female Ring-Necked Duck , we then headed for home but on the way we stopped off for a look at the River Dart at Buckfastleigh & saw 7 male & 3 female Mandarin .

Ring-Necked Duck . Slapton Ley . Devon . 4 / 1 / 2012

Bewick`s Swan

A trip out today to East Devon with the first stop at Seaton Hole where we saw 8 Great Crested Grebe & a Common Scoter , on then to Seaton & a look at the sea got us 6 Red-Throated Diver flying through .
We then went across to the Axmouth Football Club & in the field opposite the ground the two Bewick`s Swan were showing well but were to distant to get  a shot of them , we then went back to the Axe Estuary for a look & the best bird seen were 3 Mediterranean Gull`s & a look in the Yacht Club got us a female Black Redstart , our last stop was at Sidmouth & a look at the rocks got us 4 Purple Sandpiper to finish the day off with .

Black Redstart . Axmouth Yacht Club . Devon . 3 / 1 / 2013

Purple Sandpiper . Sidmouth . Devon . 3 / 1 / 2013

Out Again

An early morning look again got me the 4 Waxwing at the Exeter Services along with a single Fieldfare , I then had a look in the Ludwell Valley for Dipper but there was none to be found ! perhaps the heavy rain we have had have moved them on from the small stream they were on last year ? but 10 Siskin were feeding in the top of some trees & across the road in the Northbrook Golf Club I saw my first Kingfisher of the year .
I then headed for home but couldn`t resist another look in Darts Farm & was rewarded with nice views of Brambling & another Kingfisher .

Brambling . Darts Farm . Topsham . 2 / 1 / 2013

Tuesday 1st January . 2013

Happy New Year                                                                                                                                                              Out early this morning for a bit of year listing with my first stop at Exminster to look for the 1st winter Rose-Coloured Starling & I didn`t have to wait very long before I got views of it ! , over to Bowling Green Marsh next where there was a nice show of Avocet & distant views of the female Long-Tailed Duck .
The next stop was at the Exeter Services where I got good views of the 4 superb looking Waxwing that have hung on from the end of last year , the only other bird of note today was a nice Brambling at the Darts Farm in Topsham .

( Bohemian ) Waxwing . The Exeter Services . Devon . 1 / 1 / 2013