Sunday 28 July 2019

European Green Woodpecker

I have ben hearing European Green Woodpecker for the last week or so and this morning I finally caught up with a couple of juvenile birds in the Topsham Cemetery Grounds , I just love to see and hear these birds and will never tire of them !
Later in the day I took a look at Bowling Green Marsh at the high tide roost and was very pleased to see around 30-40 Dunlin as we have been a bit short on small waders on here for a while , there was also a partial summer plumaged Ruff and a Common Sandpiper .

European Green Woodpecker ( Picus viridis ) . Topsham Cemetery . Devon




Saturday 27th July

Out on a Pelagic from Penzance this morning with my mates Andy and Ken . We left around 6.30am and we were out for 6 hours , we went well out searching for birds but the weather has been so good not a lot has been blown in but we saw numerous Northern Gannet and Manx Shearwater , around 20+ Northern Fulmar , the bird of the day was European Storm Petrel and a few of them were seen and on the way back in we saw a juvenile Yellow-Legged Gull . Also seen were a few very nice Common Dolphin and a Sun Fish ....To sum it up we expected to see more out there but that`s birding for you , but in the end we still had a good day .

Manx Shearwater ( Puffinus puffinus ) . Off of Cornwall


Norther Fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis ) . Off of Cornwall


Northern Gannet ( Morus bassanus ) . Off of Cornwall


Common Dolphin ( Delphinus delphis ) . Off of Cornwall


Tuesday 23 July 2019

The Exe Estuary

A look at Bowling Green Marsh at high tide didn't turn up much at all with only 23 Little Egret , 2 Grey Heron , 100+ Eurasian Curlew , 9 Whimbrel , 50+ Common Redshank , a Bar-Tailed Godwit
2 Stock Dove and this Eurasian Sparrowhawk that flew in and grabbed its dinner and flew off with it .
I then went to the other side of the Exe Estuary at Cockwood Steps and took a look at the estuary and I saw the long staying Slavonian Grebe , 3 Sandwich Tern and a single Roseate Tern that was well up the estuary .

Eurasian Sparrowhawk ( Accipiter nisus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon


Sunday 21 July 2019

Roseate Tern

This morning I had a message from my mate Matt Knott telling me that he had 4 Roseate Tern on Bull Hill a sandbar that can be seen at low tide in the Exe Extuary . So I made the trip down to Exmouth and was lucky enough to get all 4 of them in the air together , there was also a 100+ Sandwich Tern and 2 Common Tern .
I then went to Matts house as overnight he had caught a Small Marbled a rare migrant moth that he says it quite hard to catch up with , he also showed me two more moths that were new to me a White-Line Dart and a Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing .

A very good morning for me so many thanks Matt .

Small Marbled ( Eublemma parva ) . Exmouth . Devon



White-Line Dart ( Euxoa tritici ) . Exmouth . Devon


Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing ( Noctua fimbriata ) ( Male ) . Exmouth . Devon


Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing ( Noctua fimbriata ) ( Female ) . Exmouth . Devon


Friday 19 July 2019

No Change

I had a look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning at high tide but there was no change in the birds on show with numerous Eurasian Curlew , 20+ Whimbrel , a mass of Black-Tailed Godwit and in with them were two Bar-Tailed Gowit , there was also a high count of Common Redshank , 20+ Dunlin and 3 Common Sandpiper .....also seen were two fly over Stock Dove .

Common Sandpiper ( Actitis hypoleucos ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon


Wednesday 17 July 2019

Topsham

In the Topsham Cemeter Grounds this morning there was a European Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker . And this afternoon there was a few Common Swift over Topsham Town .
Not a lot of moths about last night with the best being this Riband Wave .

Riband Wave ( Idaea aversata ) . Topsham . Devon


Monday 15 July 2019

Osprey

This morning I went to Exton Railway Station where you can look out over the Exe Estuary and this Osprey was sat out in the middle of the estuary , there have been a couple around for a few days so it was good to catch up with one of them , while I was there I also saw a few Common House Martin and Barn Swallow and a single Common Swift .
Later in the day saw me at Bowling Green Marsh to catch the high tide roost and I saw 200+ Eurasian Curlew , 20+ Whimbrel , 200+ Black-Tailed Godwit , a single Bar-Tailed Godwit , numerous Common Redshank , 20+ Dunlin and a single Red Knot .

Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) . The Exe Estuary . Devon


Common Swift ( Apus apus ) . Exton . Devon


Common House Martin ( Delichon urbicum ) . Exton . Devon


Sunday 14th July

I was at the marsh at low tide today  so there were not many birds on show and all I saw was a Whimbrel , a Stock Dove and a Great Spotted Woodpecker .
Also see were the following Butterflies with Gatekeeper , Ringlet , Comma and quite a few Red Admiral......But the highlight of the day was a Weasel that dashed across the path leading to the viewing platform .

Comma ( Polygonia c-album ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon



Red Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon


Wednesday 10 July 2019

Tuesday 9 July 2019

Red Knot

This Red Knot was showing well from the hide on Bowling Green Marsh this afternoon along with numerous Common Redshank , 2 Whimbrel , a Common Sandpiper , a Stock Dove and a Sandwich Tern was heard but nut seen .
I then had a look at the Clyst Estuary where I saw 21 Dunlin , a Common Greenshank , a Bar-Tailed Godwit another Common Sandpiper and an adult and a juvenile Water Rail .

Red Knot ( Calidris canutus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon



Sunday 7 July 2019

Saturday 6th July

I had a morning look at Bowling Green Marsh and the waders are starting to build up in numbers with 100+ of Eurasian Curlew and Black-Tailed Godwit , around 20+ Northern Lapwing 4 Whimbrel , 9 Common Greenshank , 20+ Common Redshank , a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank , a Pied Avocet and a Green Sandpiper .
Other birds seen was an adult summer Mediterranean Gull and a Stock Dove and down the far end of the marsh by the viewing platform the following Butterflies were seen with Ringlet , Large Skipper , Meadow Brown and some very nice Gatekeeper`s

Ringlet ( Aphantopus hyperantus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon


Large Skipper ( Ochlodes venatus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon


Thursday 4 July 2019

Haldon Forest

My friend Charlie Fleming told me about a spot on Haldon Forest where he had been seeing Common Crossbill`s so as the weather was great today I went up to have a look for them , and sure enough I managed to see a male bird and 2 females ,  also seen were 6 male and a female Yellowhammer , a female Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Garden Warbler , a Blackcap , 3 Common Linnet and a European Nightjar was heard on call .
Also seen were the following Butterflies , Painted Lady , Large Skipper , Ringlet , Small Heath , Meadow Brown and Large White.......and also Golden-Ringed Dragonfly , Emperor Dragonfly and two Four-Spotted Chaser .

Common Crossbill ( Loxia curvirostra ) . Haldon Forest . Devon



Yellowhammer ( Emberiza citrinella ) . Haldon Forest . Devon


Great Spotted Woodpecker ( Dendrocopos major ) . Haldon Forest . Devon


Wednesday 3 July 2019

Tuesday 2nd July

I had an early morning look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning but again I could hardly see anything due to the long grass and thistles ..... Disgusting management again by the RSPB .
A look at Darts Farm scrape got me two returning Green Sandpiper the first that I have seen for ages , around a dozen Northern Lapwing and 2 Common Raven . And overnight I caught these 2 Moths .