Dave`s Diary

Illusive Black Redstart !!

This morning I spent a couple of hours down at Dawlish Warren looking for a BLACK REDSTART that has been seen around the sea wall but all I got today was two flight views of the bird but when I looked at the spot where it had landed there was nothing to be seen , oh so frustrating !
but I did see 6 ROCK PIPIT & a few TURNSTONE .
On the way home I stopped off at Cockwood for a look at the Exe Estuary & saw a few BRENT GOOSE & I picked up a small grebe & thought it was the long staying Slavonion Grebe but in the end it turned out to be just a LITTLE GREBE .

( Ruddy ) TURNSTONE . DAWLISH WARREN . DEVON . 18 / 11 / 2009

BRENT GOOSE . THE EXE ESTUARY . COCKWOOD . DEVON . 18 / 11 / 2009

Green Winged Teal

This morning I stopped for a look at the Matford Marshes on the edge of Exeter & I saw a mixed flock of WIGEON & TEAL , a single male SHOVELER , & a COMMON SANDPIPER & a GREEN SANDPIPER .
Later in the day Andy Bond & myself went up to the RSPB Reserve at Greylake in Somerset to look for the reported Green-Winged Teal that has been seen there but there was no sign of today ! & there wasn`t a lot else around either with just a KESTREL & PEREGRINE FALCON , & this GREY HERON that flew past the hide .

GREY HERON . THE GREYLAKE RSPB RESERVE . SOMERSET . 9 / 11 / 2009

Black-Throated Thrush in Devon

The start of a good day had me being woken up by a TAWNY OWL that was calling outside my house in Topsham , I then went out to Scorriton Down on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon with Brian Heasman to look for a reported Black-Throated Thrush but after spending quite a while looking for it there was no sign ! but there was a couple of RING OUZEL , numerous REDWING & FIELDFARE , 6 BRAMBLING & 3 YELLOWHAMMER , so we headed for home ! Wellllllllllll I had only been home a short while when news came out that the BLACK-THROATED THRUSH had been found again & was showing quite well , so off I went again & this time I was in luck & got great views of this 1st for Devon & managed to get these shots of it just before the light went .

BLACK-THROATED THRUSH . SCORRITON DOWN . DARTMOOR . DEVON . 28 / 10 / 2009

Red-Throated Pipit

Yesterday I had a look in the top fields of Gore Lane in Exmouth for a RED-THROATED PIPIT that had been found the day before but I was out of luck & couldn`t find it but did see 3 WOODLARK , so this morning I was down there again just after first light but after looking for around five hours I only got it on call twice ! once very close but still couldn`t see it in the very windy conditions ( what a shit )
But there was numerous MEADOW PIPIT & SKYLARK , 2 LESSER REDPOLL , 50+ FIELDFARE , 10 RAVEN & a REED BUNTING .

SKYLARK . GORE LANE . EXMOUTH . DEVON . 25 / 10 / 2009