Tuesday 21st . July

A trip up to Eastleach Martin in Gloucestershire with Tim & Andy . Got me a Long-Tailed Shrike a new bird for my world list . I tried to get shots of it but the heat haze was very bad  , I did manage to get a couple of them so I was pleased with that .

Also seen was Red Kite and Corn Bunting .

Long-Tailed Shrike On The List

 

13th JULY

 A couple of shots of last nights Caspian Tern that I saw on Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham . I just managed to get on and grab these 2 shots of it before it flew off towards the Exe Estuary 

As you can see they are just record shots but beggars cant be choosers .

Caspian Tern ( Hydroprogne caspia ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Med Gulls

 New into the marsh today were 5 Mediterranean Gull and a Peregrine Falcon  . Along with all the usual suspects with 2 Eurasian Spoonbill , 8 Little Egret , 2 Spotted Redshank in summer plumage , Whimbrel , 4 Green Sandpiper , Lesser Black-Backed Gull and 2 Stock Dove .

Green Sandpiper ( Tringa ochropus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Much of the same

 Today there wwere 2 summer plumaged Spotted Redshank on Bowling Green Marsh a nice treat for everyone . Also seen were 2 Eurasian Spoonbill , a Whimbrel and Dunlin and yesterdays Red Knot showed a bit better today .

The only other thing seen were 3 Stock Dove .

Spotted Redshank ( Tringa erythropus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

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

 

1st Knot

 I am still only venturing out to my local patch due to having the new knee . But it is great to get out anywhere again . 

Here is a list of todays birds that I saw . Eurasian Spoonbill . Little Egret . Grey Heron , Whimbrel , Eurasian Curlew , Common Greenshank and Redshank , Spotted Redshank , Green Sandpiper . My 1st Red Knot of the year ( Sorry about the photo but very bad heat haze ) , Eurasian Oystercatcher , Green Sandpiper , Stock Dove , Common Sand Martin and Sedge Warbler .

So not a bad mornings birding 👀😊

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

 

Bowling Green Marsh

 My look today got me a Western Marsh Harrier along with 2 Eurasian Spoonbill , 6 Common Greenshank . Yesterdays summer plumaged Spotted Redshank was still showing well today as was 2 Green Sandpiper and 20+ Common Sand Martin . Then a walk along the road then got me a Common Chiffchaff and a Song Thrush .

Later when I was in the town at Topsham it was good to see a few Common Swift .

Western Marsh Harrier ( Circus aeuginosus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Out Again

 Well today is my first venture out for 6 weeks due to the new knee operation . With a look at my local patch Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham . And I managed to see 2 Eurasian Spoonbill , adult and juvenile Green Sandpiper and a very nice looking summer plumaged Spotted Redshank .

Also seen were half a dozen Small White and a Ringlet Butterflies .

Spotted Redshank ( Tringa erythropus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

 

Green Sandpiper ( Tringa ochropus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Eurasian Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Devon

 

Knee

To all my readers , I will be out of action for a while as I have just had a new Knee operation . Bur I will try and get back out as soon as possible . 

Tuesday 12th May

 Our day started at Cogload in Somerset to look for a Common Nightingale . And we got there to hear the bird in full song but as it is with these birds it never came out into view .

Our next stop was at Northwick Worth near Bristol to look for a reported Temminck`s Stint and in the end we managed to see two of them along with 6 Little Ringed Plover and a Common Snipe .

The next stop was on the Somerset levels with 6 Common Crane seen near the Stathe Drove area .

Temminck`s Stint ( Calidris temminckii ) . Northwick Worth . Bristol

 

 

 

 

Common Crane ( Grus grus ) . Nr Strathe Drove . Somerset

 

Lesser Kestrel

 A trip down to Cornwall with Andy and Tim to look for a Lesser Kestrel a rare bird for Britain . And after a slog through a bog we got to the area where the bird was showing and we got great views of it . It was a new bird for Andy and Tim but not for me as I saw one on the Scilly Isles way back in 2002 . But I was still very pleased to see this one .

Also seen was a Black-Winged Stilt and a Common Cuckoo .

Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni ) . Croft Pascoe Area . Goonhilly Downs . Cornwall

 

 

 

 

Black-Winged Stilt ( Himantopus himantopus ) . Croft Pascoe Area . Goonhilly Downs . Cornwall

 

3rd May

 LUNDY ISLAND TRIP

Today I went on the Devon Birds annual trip to Lundy Island and on the crossing there was way over a hundred Manx Shearwater seen . But the highlight was a Risso`s Dolphin a first for me 😊 seen along with quite a few Common Dolphin .

Once we got to the Island the ship went around the island before docking and we saw numerous Razorbill , Common Guillemot and quite a few Atlantic Puffin .

Once we got onto the Island the highlight was a Eurasian Golden Oriole that I found on call in Millcombe Valley , I spent a bit of time trying to see the bird with no luck . But it was later seen in other areas of the island . Also seen was a Yellow Wagtail of the Channel Race and a Spotted Flycatcher .

Manx Shearwater ( Puffinus puffinus ) . Bideford to Lundy Island . Devon

 

Atlantic Puffin ( Fratercula arctica ) . Lundy Island . Devon

 

High Winds

 This morning it was very windy . But I still took a look at the Exminster Marshes where I saw 2 European Spoonbill , Barn Swallow , Common Raven and a Common Lizard .

I then went to a spot on Haldon Forest where I had a Garden Warbler singing from deep cover but I could not see it , there was also a Mistle Thrush

                                                                 European Spoonbill

Stupid

 This morning the weather was nice so I went out to Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor in hope of catching up with Common Cuckoo but when I got there the wind was quite strong so the cuckoos where hard to see but I managed to see one and heard another calling .

Also seen was a male Common Redstart so I though I would get a nice shot of it only to find that I had come out with no card in my camera...Stupid me 😖 as I also saw 2 Lesser Redpoll my first of the year . And a male and female Northern Wheatear .

Back home in Topsham I saw 2 Eurasian Collared Dove a common bird but I found them hard to see this year !

Eurasian Collared Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto ) . Topsham . Devon

 

Eurasian Hobby

 Well today I could only manage to get this distant shot of a Eurasian Hobby . It is my first of the year so fingers crossed that I can better it some time .

Also seen was a male Western Marsh Harrier , Cetti`s Warbler , Eurasian Reed Warbler  , Sedge Warbler , Common Chiffchaff and a Blackcap .

Eurasian Hobby ( Falco subbuteo ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Bluethroat

Tim Andy and myself made a trip up to Swineham Gravel Pits in Dorset to look for a Bluethroat a very rare bird that visits us from Europe some times . And after a long walk we got great views of the bird of the red spotted race of northern Europe .

These birds used to be rarer in Britain but they seem to be turning up a bit more allowing us to enjoy these beautiful birds . 

Bluethroat ( Luscinia svecica ) . Swineham Gravel Pits . Dorset

 

 

 

Weasel

 The highlight of the day for me was seeing my 1st Weasel of the year that was seen on the canel path at the  Exminster Marshes .

Also seen were the following birds

Common Buzzard . Eurasian Curlew . Whimbrel . Common Skylark . Sedge Warbler . Blackcap . Common Chiffchaff and Cetti`s Warbler

Sedge Warbler ( Arocephalus schoenobaenus ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

 

Friday 17th April

 News of a Black-Crowned Night Heron saw me making the trip over to Seaton in East Devon in hope of seeing it . And the bird was showing very well on Borrow Pit . There was not a lot else to see with only 4 Cetti`s Warbler and a Common Chiffchaff .

Black-Crowned Night Heron . Borrow Pit . Seaton . Devon

 

Nice Day

 I started the day off at Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor where I saw a Common Buzzard , a Common Raven . And new for the year Common Redstart with 3 male birds seen . also seen was  a Clouded Yellow Butterfly .

I then went to Yarner Wood to look for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but again I was out of luck .

But I did see 2 male Blackcap , 2 Willow Warbler , Eurasian Treecreeper , Great Spotted Woodpecker , 2 Mistle Thrush , Pied Flycatcher and my first Tree Pipit of the year

Tree Pipit ( Anthus trivialis ) . Yarner Wood . Devon

 

 

Rain

 A quick look at the Exminster Marshes this morning before the rain set in . Got me 3 Common Buzzard , a few Barn Swallow , 3 Cetti`s Warbler , 2 European Reed Warbler , 2 Sedge Warbler , Common Chiffchaff , 2 male Blackcap and 2 Cattle Egret .

Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Sunday 12th April

The Pied Flycatcher have returned to Yarner Wood and a pair showed quite well this morning .

Also seen were a pair of Blackcap , Willow Warbler , Common Chiffchaff , Goldcrest and Song Thrush .

Another highlight today was seeing a Water Shrew near the reservoir my first in over ten years 😀

Pied Flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca ) . Yarner Wood . Devon

 

Ruff

 On The Exminster Marshes this morning new birds for the year were Common Swift , 2 Sedge Warbler , a European Reed Warbler and a  Ruff  . Also seen were Black-Tailed Godwit , Cetti`s Warbler , European Spoonbill , 4 Barn Swallow , numerous Common Sand Martin , The long staying Greater White-Fronted Goose , a male Western Marsh Harrier and 20+ Cattle Egret .              

Ruff ( Philomachus pugnax ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Wednesday 8th April

 Four of us made an early morning trip up the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire in hope of seeing some good birds and we started off with Corn Bunting and in the end we had seen 100+ of these birds .

Also seen were 30+ Great Bustard , 10 Red Kite , a Common Whitethroat , 5 Stone Curlew , 2 Northern Wheatear , 20+ Skylark , 3 Grey Partridge , 2 Red-Legged Partridge & 2 Meadow Pipit .

We finished the day off at Marlborough Downs and we saw 2 Tree Sparrow and 6 Yellowhammer .

Also seen was Brown Hare , Roe Deer , Red Deer & Muntjac Deer .

A great days birding in superb weather !

Corn Bunting ( Miliaria calandra ) . Salisbury Plain . Wiltshire

 

Stone Curlew ( Burhinus oedicnemus ) . Salisbury Plain . Wiltshire

 

Grey Partridge ( Perdix perdix ) . Salisbury Plain . Wiltshire

 

 

The Exminster Marshes

 A look at the marsh today got me 2 Little Ringed Plover , 100+ Eurasian Curlew and in with them was my first Whimbrel of the year . Also seen was a Bar-Tailed Godwit , a Lesser Black-Backed Gull , Common Raven and a Common Chiffchaff .

Little Ringed Plover ( Charadrius dubius ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Good Birding

 I started off today at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham where I saw this Spotted Redshank that is just starting to turn into summer plumage . Also seen was a female Western Marsh Harrier and a Cetti`s Warbler .

I then went across to the Exminster Marshes in hope of seeing the Greater White-Fronted Goose that has been hanging on from the winter and today my luck was in . There was also another 6 Cetti`s Warbler , 4 Common Chiffchaff and my 1st Willow Warbler of the year 👀 .

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Spotted Redshank ( Tringa erythropus ) . Bowling Green Marsh . Topsham . Devon

 

Greater White-Fronted Goose ( Anser albifrons ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

The last couple of days

30th March                                                                                                                                              

THE EXMINSTER MARSHES

Gadwall , 2 Eurasian Curlew , Peregrine Falcon , 2 Common Buzzard , 2 Western Marsh Harrier and a female Merlin that flew through like a rocket .

31st March

HALDON FOREST

Numerous Eurasian Siskin , 5 Yellowhammer , a female Brambling , Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Eurasian Nuthatch

Not a Lot

Not much birding done today but I did see this Reed Bunting on Goosemoor . And at the bottom of Bowling Green Lane there were 2 Common Chiffchaff and a male Blackcap . My first one seen in Devon this year . 

Reed Bunting ( Emberiza schoeniclus ) . Goosemoor . Topsham . Devon

 

Merlin

The day started of at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham with a female Western Marsh Harrier and 3 Stock Dove .

I then took a look at the Exminster Marshes where I saw a Great White Egret , European Spoonbill , Common Buzzard , Common Raven and this superb female Merlin .

Merlin ( Falco columbarius ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Green-Winged Teal

 This morning I got a long distance shot of this Green-Winged Teal an American bird that I have always liked to see . The sad thing is that it has now been lumped with our Common Teal a thing that that seems stupid to me 😒

Also seen was a European Spoonbill and a Western Marsh Harrier

Green-Winged Teal ( Anus carolinensis ) . The Exminster Marshes . Devon

 

Goosemoor

 A morning look around Goosemoor in Topsham got me a Little Egret , 6 Common Redshank , a female Common Stonechat , 4 Stock Dove , 2 Common Raven , Cetti`s Warbler and a Song Thrush .

A look at Bowling Green Marsh then got me 2 Reed Bunting .

Stock Dove ( Columba oenas ) . Goosemoor . Topsham . Devon