September 29, 2008
Cattle Egret
News this morning of a CATTLE EGRET on Exminster Marsh so I went over to see if it was still there & when I arrived it was still there but had gone into a ditch & could only be partly seen now & then , but after about an hour it came out into view for a while & was feeding around the cows , there was also a couple of LITTLE EGRET seen but not a lot else !!
September 28, 2008
Aquatic Warbler
This superb AQUATIC WARBLER gave stunning views at Slapton Ley in South Devon this afternoon & sometimes came within a few feet away , I havn`t seen one of these birds since 96 on the Otter Estuary so it was very gratefully receaved .
There was also 50+ SWALLOW , a WATER RAIL & 2 STONECHAT seen & 2 CETTI`S WARBLER heard .
September 27, 2008
Friday 26th September . 2008
A long journey today up to Flamborough Head in Yorkshire for the Brown Shrike that was there the day before but alas there was no sign of it today !!!!!
But there was a juvenile RED-BACKED SHRIKE , 2 TREE SPARROW , a CORN BUNTING , a juvenile PIED FLYCATCHER , a YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER & a flock of 40-50 GREYLAG GOOSE that looked to have just come in off of the sea .
This is the second time in two years that I have made the journey up to Flamborough Head with the trip last year for the Brown Flycatcher & I have dipped both times so as you can imagine Flamborough is not my favourite birding spot !!!!!!!
September 26, 2008
Thursday 25th September . 2008
CASPIAN GULL
A trip up to Somerset this afternoon to look for some of the birds that have been reported there , with the first stop at the reservoirs at Barrow Gurney where there was a drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK in with the masses of COMMON POCHARD & TUFTED DUCK , 4 GREAT CRESTED GREBE , a PECTORAL SANDPIPER , 2 NORTHERN WHEATEAR & a YELLOW WAGTAIL .
The next stop was at Torr Reservoir for the evening gull roost where there was over 4000 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL , 5 YELLOW LEGGED GULL & a 2nd winter CASPIAN GULL ( a british tick for me ) .
FERRUGINOUS DUCK . BARROW GURNEY RESERVOIR . SOMERSET . 25 / 9 / 2008
PECTORAL SANDPIPER . BARROW GURNEY RESERVOIR . SOMERSET . 25 / 9 / 2008
September 21, 2008
My Local Patch
Early this mornining I went for a look at my local patch Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham & it was well worth it with some good birds seen !
There was a male & 2 female RUFF , 4 CURLEW SANDPIPER , 3 LITTLE STINT , 50+ AVOCET , a WOOD SANDPIPER , a SPOTTED REDSHANK in winter plumage , 2 WHIMBREL , 8 DUNLIN , a BAR TAILED GODWIT , 7 LITTLE EGRET , 2 BARNACLE GOOSE & a Red Fox , The day ended with my first TAWNY OWL of the autumn calling outside my house in Topsham .
September 18, 2008
Davidstow Airport
2 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was the lure that got myself & Ken Montandon down to Davidstow Airport in North Cornwall this afternoon & we got great views of both birds & we also got a bit of luck with 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPER seen as well on the only bit of water on the airport , also seen were 12 DUNLIN , 8 RINGED PLOVER , 3 RAVEN , 2 WHEATEAR & a WHITE WAGTAIL .
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER . DAVIDSTOW AIRPORT . CORNWALL . 18 / 9 / 2008
PECTORAL SANDPIPER . DAVIDSTOW AIRPORT . CORNWALL . 18 / 9 / 2008
September 17, 2008
Little Stint
A look at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham this morning got me 3 KNOT , 3 CURLEW SANDPIPER & my first LITTLE STINT of the year , I then went down to Dawlish Warren where I saw 2 summer plumage RED-THROATED DIVER , 8 COMMON TERN , 2 KNOT , 2 CURLEW SANDPIPER , 6 SANDERLING , a WHIMBREL , an OSPREY that was fishing in the bight , 1 ARCTIC SKUA , 8 SISKIN & 3 WHEATEAR .
September 16, 2008
Honey Buzzard
Andy Bond & myself went up to Portland Bill in Dorset this afternoon & on the way there we had a HONEY BUZZARD fly across the A35 at Chideock , it looked as if it had come in off of the sea & was heading inland ! once we got to Portland we went to Culverwell for a look and the MELODIOUS WARBLER showed briefly again with a couple of CHIFFCHAFF , a walk up to the top fields then turned up a STOCK DOVE & this WHINCHAT .
September 15, 2008
Great White Egret ?
This afternoon I had 3 Egrets fly up from the Rive Clyst in Topsham 2 were LITTLE EGRET`s but the other one was very much larger ! they seemed to fly & land in an area called Goosemoor but its an area that the RSPB wont let birders into but after looking in at areas where you can get partial views the bird could not be seen again , but a possible Great White Egret was photographed flying over Bowling Green Marsh towards Goosemoor this morning but with no further sightings I will have to hold fire on this sighting & hope that it gets picked up again somewhere , the only other thing seen today was an OSPREY fishing on the Exe Estuary but I could only get this long distance hand held shot of it .
September 11, 2008
Woodchat Shrike
An early morning trip up to Portland in Dorset saw me at the Reap Lane area looking for the juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE that was found there yesterday & after searching for it for over an hour the bird suddenly popped up into view giving nice views , also in the same field were a few STONECHAT & a single WHINCHAT .
I then went out onto the bill & at Culverwell there was a MELODIOUS WARBLER that was very skulking but showed now & then , a WILLOW WARBLER & a female PIED FLYCATCHER .
Wednesday 10th September . 2008
Today a car load of us went down to Cornwall birding for the day with our first stop at the Davidstow Airport where we saw 8 NORTHERN WHEATEAR , 3 WHITE WAGTAIL , numerous RINGED PLOVER & DUNLIN but there was no sign of the bird that we had gone there for an American Buff-Breasted Sandpiper .
Our next stop was at Porthgwarra but all we saw there were 2 CHOUGH & a few SWALLOW resting up on the wires before the long journey south , we then went to the Sennan area to look for a reported DOTTEREL & we found it in a field along with 9 GOLDEN PLOVER .
September 9, 2008
Osprey
Today I did hardly any birding but I got a late call telling me that there was an OSPREY on the mast of the old barge on the Clyst Estuary ! so I went down to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh to see if I could see it only to be told that it had flown off but as luck would have it it soon returned after catching a fish & it sat there eating it for quite a while .
September 8, 2008
Sabine`s Gull
Today I went up to Lyme Regis in Dorset to look for the juvenile SABINE`S GULL that has been seen around the beach near the Cobb & after waiting for around half an hour the bird came onto the beach & showed very well but it was very hard to get a good shot of it because of the dog walkers covering the beach , it then flew out to sea again & didn`t return for over an hour it then flew up the beach & around the headland into Devon & was lost from sight .
September 7, 2008
Eurasian Wryneck
Another trip down to Dawlish Warren this morning & the first bird that I saw was a RAVEN flying over the car park , on the reserve there was an adult PEREGRINE FALCON , a juvenile MERLIN that was watched flying in off of the sea , 10 NORTHERN WHEATEAR , 20+ SANDERLING , 5 KNOT , a COLLERED DOVE a bird that is quite scarce on the reserve , a late COMMON SWIFT that flew over the golf course & this WRYNECK that showed on the dune ridge & on Warren Point again .
September 3, 2008
Eurasian Wryneck
Today I went down to Dawlish Warren to look for the reported WRYNECK that had been found there , I went to the spot that it had been seen but the bird was not showing but then some news came out that it was last seen towards the Warren Point & after searching for quite a while I flushed the bird up from in front of me & it flew over the dune ridge towards the beach , we had just started to look for it again when a heavy rain front soaked us all ! but I did hear that the bird had been seen again after I had left .
The SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was again showing very well on the beach & also seen were half a dozen NORTHERN WHEATEAR & a GARDEN WARBLER .
September 1, 2008
Bowling Green Marsh
A look at Bowling Green Marsh today got me 2 LITTLE GREBE , 4 LITTLE EGRET , the juvenile GARGANEY , an adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL & a KINGFISHER .
But there was no sign of the Marsh Sandpiper today on the marsh up till when I left but I did see 6 GREENSHANK , a SPOTTED REDSHANK , 2 KNOT , & 2 AVOCET , & on the Clyst Marshes there was 4 GREEN SANDPIPER .
