Curlew Sandpiper

An early morning call got me down to the viewing platform on Bowling Green Marsh where I got distant views of an Osprey way down by Starcross & on the Clyst Estuary a winter plumaged Spotted Redshank showed well , & on the marsh today the Spoonbill was still on show along with 2 Mediterranean Gull , 2 Ruff & a Green Sandpiper but the highlight of the day was my first Curlew Sandpiper of the autumn ... also seen were 3 Southern Hawker Dragonflies .

Southern Hawker . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 31 / 8 / 2013

Spoonbill

A couple of looks at Bowling Green Marsh today got me some nice birds as first thing this morning I saw a Garganey in eclipse plumage , a Ruff that was in the channel outside the hide until it was flush by people on the road & a Snipe ( my first one for quite a while )
Later in the afternoon I went for another look & added Spoonbill , Green Sandpiper , Spotted Redshank & 6 House Martin to the day list , I also got a first for me on the marsh when a Hornet flew into the hide & out again !!

Spoonbill . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 30 / 8 / 2013

Garganey . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 30 / 8 / 2013

Ruff . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon . 30 / 8 / 2013

Quite dead today !!!!

A look at Bowling Green Marsh today didn`t turn up much at all with just an adult winter Spotted Redshank , a Green Sandpiper , a Common Sandpiper , a Ringed Plover & a Lesser Black-Backed Gull worth talking about !!!! and on the path to the viewing platform I found this dead Common Shrew .

Black Tern

This morning I had a call telling me that there was a few Black Tern in the Exe  Estuary off of Mudbank Lane in Exmouth , so I went down and managed to see 4 of them , I then went for a look at Bowling Green Marsh & saw the following birds , 60+ Little Egret , 4 Little Ringed Plover , 1 Green Sandpiper , 1 Common Sandpiper , an adult winter Spotted Redshank , 8 Yellow Wagtail were in with the cows but were very hard to see & 2 Raven flew over calling .
Late afternoon I went for a look at the Clyst Estuary from the viewing platform where I found this Juvenile Spotted Redshank , 1 Greenshank & a Common Sandpiper

Spotted Redshank (Juvenile ) . The Clyst Estuary . Topsham . Devon . 26 / 8 / 2013

Greenshank . The Clyst Estuary . Topsham . Devon . 26 / 8 / 2013

Not long now !!

I noticed that the cows are back in the field by Tremlett`s Marsh a good place for Yellow Wagtail`s in the past but a look today didn`t get me any !! but I don't think it will be long before they turn up again , a look at the River Clyst then got me 4 Common Sandpiper , 1 Green Sandpiper & 3 Greenshank .

Common Sandpiper`s . The River Clyst . Topsham . Devon . 24 / 8 / 2013

Brown Hairstreak

A trip down to Preston Down Road in Torbay this morning to look for Brown Hairstreak Butterflies a new species for me & after a bit of a search we managed to find one female but it never hung around long enough for me to get a shot of it !!! , other Butterflies seen were Clouded Yellow , Common Blue , Speckled Wood , Red Admiral , Small Copper & Large & Small Whites

Common Blue ( Female ) . Preston . Torbay . Devon . 21 / 8 / 2013

Clouded Yellow

Brian Heasman & myself went out to Heathfield Nr Bovey Tracey this morning to look for Clouded Yellow Butterflies & we managed to see just the one + 6 Large White , male & female Brimstone , 2 Common Blue , Peacock , Gatekeeper , Meadow Brown & Small Tortoiseshell .

Clouded Yellow . Heathfield . Bovey Tracey . Devon . 18 / 8 / 2013 ( Photo by B . Heasman )

Clouded Yellow . Heathfield . Bovey Trecey . Devon . 18 / 8/ 2013 ( Photo by B. Heasman )

Sea Watching

A sea watch from Orcombe Point in Exmouth this morning didn`t get me the quality of birds seen at Berry Head , Start & Prawle Points but I did see 2 Pomarine Skua , 4 Manx Shearwater , 1 Balearic Shearwater , 12 Common Scoter , 1 Little Gull & numerous Gannet , Kittiwake & Sandwich Tern .