Little Grebe

 There was no sign of the 1st winter Greater Scaup on Bowling Green Marsh this morning in very heavy rain . But I did see a European Spoonbill , a Spotted Redshank . 300+ Pied Avocet , 2 Common Greenshank , numerous Common Redshank and Black-Tailed Godwit , 5 Common Snipe , 2 Little Grebe and a Common Raven 

Little Grebe ( Tachybaptus ruficollis ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Bowling Green Marsh

 Another look at my local patch Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me the following birds .

Numerous Northern Pintail , 1st winter male Greater Scaup , 30+ Pied Avocet , 2 Spotted Redshank , Common Greenshank , 2 Dunlin , the wintering Long-Billed Dowitcher , Ruff , Lesser Black-Backed Gull and a Common Chiffchaff .

Long-Billed Dowitcher ( Limnodromus scolopaceus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Greater Scaup

 I had a look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning and came across this Greater Scaup a bird you dont see on the marsh that often .

Also seen were 4 Greylag Geese , 4 Northern Pintail , a Ruff that was feeding with a few Black-Tailed Godwit , Spotted Redshank , Common Snipe , a flock of 10 Common Moorhen all together looked very strange , 11 European Robin and a Mistle Thrush .

Greater Scaup ( Aythya marila ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

YBW

 An early morning visit to Bowling Green Marsh in a heavy mist got me 3 European Spoonbill and after about an hour the mist started to lift and they showed a lot better . Also seen were 2 Grey Heron , 2 Common Snipe and around 50+ Northern Lapwing .

A mate of mine found a Yellow-Browed Warbler the other day around the Mill Lane area of Exeter . So off I went in hope of seeing it , and my luck was in as I refound the bird and got very nice views of it .

Also seen was Brown Rat and Red Fox .

European Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Yellow-Browed Warbler ( Phylloscopus innornatus ) . Mill Lane Area . Exeter . Devon

 

 

Tuesday 12th November

SCARLET TANAGER

A long trip up to Northowram in Yorkshire with M Bailey and A Bond in hope of getting nice views and photographs  of the 1st winter male Scarlet Tanager . We arrived at 7am and picked a spot in a small cul de sac where the bird had been seen  .

But as what usually happens nothing goes to plan and after standing in the cul de sac for over 8 hours all I managed to get on the bird was a flight view of it as it flew between 2 bungalows of the area that it seems to like with berries in the back gardens .

My health is not to good at the moment and I just about stood up till around 2pm when I had to sit down on a wall completely knackererd  ................Hope for better days .

The only other bird of note was a fly over Hawfinch .

Thanks Mark .

9th November

 A morning out down to Portworthy Lakes near Plymton got me what I was looking for with a nice Ring-Necked Duck and a Red-Crested Pochard .

Also there were 3 European Green Woodpecker , 6 Redwing and 2 Common Stonechat .

Wednesday 6th November

A day out with my mate Andy with our first stop at the Northam Burrows in North Devon in hope of seeing a White-Rumped Sandpiper that has been seen there . We arrived and got out of the car and there the bird was right in front of us and at times in came within a few feet of us happily feeding on the edge of the pool .

Our next stop was at Fremington Quay where we saw a Glossy Ibis . We then decided to go to the Trolesworthy Common area of Dartmoor to look for a Pallid Harrier that has been seen there for a few days . But we were out of luck with the Harrier but I did see my 1st Merlin in Devon this year .

White-Rumped Sandpiper ( Calidris fuscicollis ) . Northam Burrows . Devon

 

 

 

 

 

Glossy Ibis ( Plegadis falcinellus ) . Fremington Quay . Devon

 

Black Redstart

A quick trip down to Exmouth this morning got me my first Black Redstart in my home county of Devon this year .                                                                                                                                                    With a female bird showing well around the flats in the Shelly Beach area .

Black Redstart ( Phoenicurus ochruos ) . Exmouth . Devon

 

Red-Necked Grebe

 A trip up to Portland in Dorset this morning to look for a Red-Necked Grebe that could possibly be of the Holboell`s Race . We soon got onto it but it always stayed quite distant from us .

We then went to the Chiswell area of Chesil Beach where we saw 2 Black Redstart and 2 Common Stonechat . Our day was finished off at Portland Bill where we saw 3 Common Raven and in the Observatory they had a Silver-Striped Hawkmoth.... A new one for me 😊

Red-Necked Grebe ( Podiceps grisegena ) . Portland Harbour . Dorset

 

 

 

Black Redstart ( Phoenicurus ochruros ) . Chilwell . Dorset

 

Silver-Striped Hawkmoth ( Hippotion celerio ) . Portland Bill Obs . Dorset

 

Water Pipit

 Long distance views this morning of a couple of Water Pipit on the north end of the Otter Marshes . Also seen were Great Cormorant , Little Egret , Grey Heron , Water Rail , Meadow Pipit , Cetti`s Warbler and Reed Bunting . 

Not a lot seen but it was good to get out in the good weather !

Water Pipit ( Anthus spinoletta ) . The Otter Marshes . Devon

 

 

Great Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo ) . The Otter Marshes . Devon

 

Ring Ouzel

 A trip out with my mate Andy to Avon Dam on the edge of Dartmoor to look for Ring Ouzel and at first we struggled to see them in the bad light . But after a while we started to connect with them and in the end we saw 12 but I am sure there were more of them  . 

We also saw a 1000 + Redwing , 2 Fieldfare , 2 Eurasian Jay , 4 Goldcrest , a Eurasian Sparrowhawk and a Northern Goshawk .

Ring Ouzel ( Turdus torquatus ) . Avon Dam . Devon

 

 

Yellow-Browed Warbler

 This morning I made a quick trip down to Exmouth to look for a Yellow-Browed Warbler that has been see there for a few days now in the Maer long staying carpark . The bird was quite hard to catch up with but he did come into a silver birch tree once with a Common Chiffchaff and I was very lucky to fire off this one shot of it before it vanished from view again .

Yellow-Browed Warbler ( Phylloscopus inornatus ) . Exmouth . Devon

 

Tuesday 22nd October

A trip up to Dorset today to look for a Isabelline/Red-Tailed Shrike and after a bit of a search we got nice views of the bird . There are now 2 splits from Isabelline Shrike being Red-Tailed and Durian but at this time we have to wait for a dna test result to be sure which one it is !

We then headed for Longham Lakes on the way seeing 3 Red Kite , we arrived at the lakes in pouring rain and after it eased of a bit we saw what we had come for , a very nice close Velvet Scoter a bird that you hardly ever see inland so it was nice to get good views of it .

Isabelline/Red-Tailed Shrike ( Lanius phoenicuroides ) . Gillingham . Dorset

 

 

 

Velvet Scoter ( Melanitta fusca ) . Longham Lakes . Dorset

 

Better Shots

 This morning I was able to get better shots of the wintering Long-Billed Dowitcher that has been coming into Bowling Green Marsh on the high tides .

Not a lot else to report with just numerous Northern Pintail , Spotted Redshank and a Stock Dove .

Long-Billed Dowitcher ( Limnodromus scolopaceus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

 

Snow Bunting

 A quick look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me 2 Bar-Tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank in with all the usual waders that get on the marsh .

I then went to the Otter Estuary at Budleigh Salterton as there was a couple of Snow Bunting reported yesterday . And they were still there today showing very well 

What an absolute bonus it is to get this little gem of a bird down here in the South West !

Snow Bunting ( Plectrophenax nivalis ) . The Otter Estuary . Budleigh Salterton . Devon

 

 

 

 

 

Harsh Light

There was news this morning of a Long-Billed Dowitcher on my local patch Bowling Green Marsh . So I went to have a look at it but it was very hard to see it in the harsh morning sunlight . And I am afraid that this is the best shot that I could get of it .

Also seen were 2 Spotted Redshank .

Long-Billed Dowitcher ( Limnodromus scolopaceus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Devon

 

Thursday 17th October

A trip down to the Otter Estuary at Budleigh Salterton this morning to look for a rare bird on the new marshes Bearded Reedling and we were lucky to see four of them in flight a few times but they never settled once out in the open .

There was also 3 Water Rail , 3 Meadow Pipit , 2 Reed Bunting , a Little Grebe and a calling Yellow-Browed Warbler .

Later in the day I got news of 5 Whooper Swan on the Exminster Marshes . A rare bird in this neck of the woods , so I shot off over to there in hope that they would still be showing . I had only just got there and had look through someone`s  telescope at them when they flew off  over the Exe Estuary ....... Jammy git or what 😀

Whooper Swan ( Cygnus cygnus ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Tuesday 15th October

 A trip out today with my mates Ken and Andy down to Cornwall in hope of seeing a Red-Flanked Bluetail . But our first stop was at Lizard Village where after a bit of a search we saw the long staying  juvenile Rose-Coloured Starling .

We then headed for the Kynance Cove area to look for the R F Bluetail where the walk was hazardous and long out to the cottages where the bird had been seen , and after that it seems that after much searching the bird had gone 😞                                                                                                                                                      So we then headed for Goonhilly Down where we saw a Lapland Bunting that flew in and landed on the path in front of us . My 1st for quite a while .

Our last stop was at Davidstow Airport where a Great Grey Shrike had been seen in the wood and we  got nice but distant views of it . I always enjoy seeing these birds .

 

Rose-Coloured Starling ( Pastor roseus ) . Lizard Village . Cornwall

 

Great Grey Shrike ( Lanius excubitor ) . Davidstow Airport . Cornwall

 

 

Not a Lot

 A look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning did not get me much at all with just the usual wildfowl . With , Northern Pintail , Northern Shoveler , Eurasian Wigeon , Common Teal and Mallard .

And a walk down towards the Exe Estuary got me this Common Kestrel and a European Green Woodpecker .

Common Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Wednesday 9th October

 The day started with a Tawny Owl calling outside my house . I then went to the Powderham Marshes to look for a reported Glossy Ibis but I missed it again for the 3rd time 😓 , and all I saw were 6 Cattle Egret and a Great Spotted Woodpecker .

My last stop was at the Exminster Marshes with Western Marsh Harrier , Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel .

Red Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Heavy Rain

 I have just had a couple of days away in Cornwall with the first day spent in heavy rain all day . So I did some sea watching at Porthgwarra where I saw 4 Cory`s Shearwater , a single Great Shearwater , 2 Arctic Skua , a Pomarine Skua , numerous Northern Gannet and Black-Legged Kittiwake and 2 Atlantic Grey Seal .

The 2nd day started at Pendeen with 4 Great Shearwater , 2 Cory`s Shearwater , 6 Manx Shearwater and 3 Balearic Shearwater . On then to Lands End to look for Eurasian Wryneck but I had no luck , but I did see 3 Common Raven , a Common Kestrel and 10 Meadow Pipit .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I then went to Porthgwarra again for another sea watch and saw 4 Cory`s Shearwater , and a close in Great Shearwater .

The day was finished off at the Botallick Tin Mine with 3 Red-Billed Chough .

Common Raven ( Corvus corax ) . Lands End . Cornwall

 

 

Red-Billed Chough ( Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax ) . The Botallick Mine . Cornwall