Not a lot to report today as I went into Exeter early . But later on in the morning news came out of a female type Garganey showing on Bowling Green Marsh my local patch . And as I am only 5 minutes away from there I went down and managed to get this shot of it .
The only other thing of note on the marsh today was a Spotted Redshank .
A dash down to Bowling Green Marsh this afternoon as a Pectoral Sandpiper had been found . I got there and soon got onto the American wader . The bird took to flight a few times above the marsh but each time it came back to around the same spot to the joy of other birders that had come a lot further then I had to see it .
Now Pec Sand is a common visitor in Britain but I am always very pleased to catch up with one of them . So many thanks to Tom Bragg the finder .
A trip out of Devon today to look for a Temminck`s Stint at the Cheddar Reservoir but after much searching we could not find it anywhere in this vast reservoir . And the bad luck got worst as after we had got back home news came out that the bird was back showing again 😡
While we were there the following birds were seen . Great White Egret , Ruff , 5 Common Snipe , 10 Common Ringed Plover , Little Stint , Wood Sandpiper , numerous Pied Wagtail & Meadow Pipit , 2 Grey Wagtail and 2 Northern Wheatear .
On Bowling Green Marsh today there were three common birds that we don`t see on here very often at all .
With Common Ringed Plover , Grey Plover and Ruddy Turnstone .
Also seen today were Common Snipe , 4 Glossy Ibis , 2 Little Stint , 4 Red Knot , Spotted Redshank , 6 Bar-Tailed Godwit , 4 Curlew Sandpiper , Little Grebe , Western Marsh Harrier , Common Kestrel , Peregrine Falcon and a male Common Stonechat .
Another look at Bowling Green Marsh got me a Western Marsh Harrier the first one that I have seen on the marsh for a while .
Also seen was a Little Grebe , 4 Pied Avocet , 8 Red Knot , 4 Bar-Tailed Godwit , 4 Curlew Sandpiper , Spotted Redshank and 2 Little Stint ( sorry about more pictures of them but I just couldn`t resist )
A morning spent in the hide at Bowling Green Marsh didn`t turn out to bad at all with the following birds seen . European Spoonbill , 3 Little Egret , 3 Glossy Ibis , 4 Curlew Sandpiper , 3 Little Stint , Whimbrel , Pied Avocet , 2 Bar-Tailed Godwit , 2 Stock Dove and a female Peregrine Falcon that made a couple of passes over the marsh but never made a kill .
News came out late yesterday of a Baird`s Sandpiper seen on LORP at Budleigh Salterton . So this morning I messaged a mate and he told me that it was still there . So I went to look for it and got there around 8.15 and soon got onto the bird and got these shots of it . We watched it for around half an hour when it flew off high to the west with another bird and it never came back again .
This one is my ninth in Britain with three of them now seen in Devon .
( Many thanks Leon )
I was sat at home when a message came over of a Common Rosefinch seen at Dawlish Warren . So I thought I would take the chance and go for it , a bit of a hazardous journey with my knees !
I got there and walked out to Greenland lake area and started looking around when all of a sudden the bird popped up in front of me . It then flew a short way and dropped to the ground . I walked over to where it had dropped in when it did exactly the same thing again only this time I could not find it again . I looked for quite a while longer with no more luck until my knees gave out on me and I had to call it a day .
This one makes it my 3rd Common Rosefinch seen in my home county of Devon 👀😀
Also seen were 10 Common Stonechat , a Northern Wheatear , a Blackcap , 6 Cirl Bunting and a Clouded Yellow Butterfly
The day started off with a European Green Woodpecker in the neighbours garden . But I only had chance to grab this one shot of it through the glass window before it shot off .
I then went to Bowling Green Marsh where I saw 3 Glossy Ibis to add to the others that I have seen in this incredible year for then !
I also saw eleven Curlew Sandpipers , the most that I have ever seen in one count .
Bowling Green Marsh turned up 2 Little Stint this morning my first on the Exe Estuary this year .
Also seen were 3 Curlew Sandpiper , numerous Dunlin , a Spotted Redshank , 2 Bar-Tailed Godwit , 20+ Common Greenshank & 10 Red Knot .
There was plenty of Common House Martin & Common Sand Martin feeding over the main water .
A look at Bowling Green Marsh this morning got me the following waders . Numerous Common Redshank , 2 Spotted Redshank , 20+ Common Greenshank , numerous Black-Tailed Godwit . 20+ Bar-Tailed Godwit , 2 Pied Avocet , 6 Red Knot , 5 Curlew Sandpiper , 300+ Eurasian Curlew , 2 Whimbrel , 100+ Dunlin and a Glossy Ibis that dropped onto the marsh for a short spell .
There seems to be an influx of Glossy Ibis into the country and even though I have already seen a few this year I could not resist going for these four more seen at Countess wear in Exeter . I also got soaked to the skin as we had heavy rain as you can see in the final photo lol .
Also seen was a couple of Wall Brown Butterflies .
A look out from Exmouth at Lyme Bay this morning got me numerous Black-Legged Kittiwake , Sandwich Tern , Common Tern and a single Roseate Tern was in with them .
I then had a look around the mouth of the Exe Estuary where again there was plenty of Terns on Bull Hill . But there was no sign of the Sabine`s Gull anywhere .
Later on I went for a look around the Darts Farm area and I saw a Common Sandpiper and plenty of Rook
Also seen were Large White , Speckled Wood , Common Blue and Small Copper Butterflies .
My first stop today was at Goosemoor in Topsham where I saw 2 Common Greenshank and a Common Snipe .
I then went to Darts Farm where I saw an early returning Merlin chasing a small bird . Also seen were the following Butterflies . Large White . Small White . Speckled Wood and Holly Blue .
The day was finished off in the late afternoon at Exmouth where a Glossy Ibis was in an area known as the Duck Pond . But I dipped the Caspian Gull that I went down for 😂
A quick trip down to Exmouth this afternoon to look for a reported juvenile Sabine`s Gull and I was able to locate it off of Dawlish Warren . It was always a bit distant for photo`s but I did my best .
Also seen was a Yellow-Legged Gull and a Common Raven .
I did an early morning seawatch today at Exmouth and it turned out to be quite good as I saw the following . 30+ Manx Shearwater , a few Balearic Shearwater , a single Sooty Shearwater , 2 long distant large shearwater but way too far out to I D them .
Also seen were 2 Arctic Skua , numerous Black-Legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet , a large flock of Tern with Sandwich Tern, Common Tern and 1 Little Tern .
Later in the afternoon I had a look at Bowling Green Marsh and saw Curlew Sandpiper , Green Sandpiper . Common Sandpiper , Whimbrel , Spotted Redshank and quite a few Northern Lapwing .
No change on Bowling Green Marsh today with the best being , 2 Curlew Sandpiper , Green Sandpiper
Red Knot and Spotted Redshank . Hope for better luck tomorrow .
