Passage House waders

Signs of return wader migration getting underway this morning at Passage House. It was good to see an adult and a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, indicating successful breeding nearby, but a summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwit also stood out; most godwits that appear the Teign are in non-breeding dress. Also present three Common Sandpipers, two Redshanks, 16 Curlew and a Whimbrel. 

Black-tailed Godwit

Little Ringed Plover (adult)

WeBS

June is usually the dullest month in the WeBS calendar and this morning's count proved no exception, with 208 Canada Geese (including a pair with three young), 47 Mute Swans, 20 Mallards, eight Shelducks (plus two young), 14 Oystercatchers, one Curlew, 14 Little Egrets, three Grey Herons, 22 Black-headed Gulls, four Cormorants and one Shag noted. A Firecrest was heard singing in a new location, further highlighting this species' change in fortune locally. 

WeBS

Wader passage is still just about ongoing, with a Dunlin and a Turnstone on Flow Point and a further six Turnstones at Teignmouth, but otherwise it was typical summer fare on the estuary on Sunday afternoon. A pair of Shelducks was overseeing a creche of 14 juveniles at Passage House, with a further 15 adults between there and Flow Point. Other totals included 16 Little Egrets, 35 Mute Swans, 32 Canada Geese, 10 Mallards, eight Cormorants and four Oystercatchers. Off Teignmouth small parties of Manx Shearwaters were circling back and forth distantly in the evening.

There's not been much to talk about over the past few weeks, although a Little Ringed Plover was on the spit at Passage House on the 10th. 

Oystercatcher

Cattle Egret, Pale-bellied Brent

Three Sedge Warblers were singing at Hackney Marshes this morning, with several more in the Passage House area. Whilst some south coast sites record this species as early as March, local birds don't tend to appear until after the Reed Warblers have arrived in mid-April. Also at Passage House a Cattle Egret was in the main channel until 07:15 when it flew off westwards, followed by three Whimbrel. Nearby a Whitethroat is holding territory with a pylon as its centrepiece, overlooking clusters of Early Purple Orchids. 

Whitethroat

Early Purple Orchid

Last Wednesday Kev had a Pale-bellied Brent Goose on the Salty, a very rare bird locally. The following day at least 15 Swifts were back over the middle of Kingsteignton, hopefully ahead of successful breeding season. 

Wheatear-fest

It's been many years since there was last a double-figure fall of Wheatears on patch, so today's arrival of at least 11 on the racecourse was most welcome. The majority of birds were on the northern side (visible from Leisure Lounge cafe), wisely avoiding the area being used by model aeroplane enthusiasts. Unsurprisingly not a lot else noted there but two Whimbrels and five Common Sandpipers were at Passage House later in the afternoon. 

Mandarins, Barnacle Goose

After a promising start to spring it's been a poor month so far for migrants, and it was left to three male Mandarins looking somewhat out of place on the Teigngrace pools to provide some value this morning. Reed Warblers are now back at Hackney Marshes and Jetty Marsh, with a male Reed Bunting at the former and a couple of Willow Warblers singing at the latter.

Last week Robin had a Barnacle Goose among Canada Geese on the clay pit between Rackerhayes and the Stover Canal, but there was no sign of it today.

Reed Bunting

WeBS

Sunday's count provided a couple of spring migrant year ticks with two Whimbrels on Flow Point (later at Passage House) and two Sandwich Terns, but there wasn't a lot else about, perhaps due to the preceding long spell of settled sunny weather. Totals included 40 Turnstones, 25 Oystercatchers, four Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers, 12 Little Egrets, four Grey Herons, seven Cormorants, four Shags, 18 Shelducks, six Mute Swans, two Teal and a lone Red-breasted Merganser. 

Distant Whimbrels

Wren (6 April)

Great White Egret

Rounding off a pretty good month for birding around the Teign, a Great White Egret was seen in flight from the A380 bridge over Passage House at about 2.40pm yesterday. It appeared to drop down on the Newton Abbot side, but there was no further sign of it despite a couple of checks this afternoon. Over at Decoy at least one Mandarin persists on the lake. 

Last good bird of the month, at least by Teignmouth standards, a Coot calling over the town just after 9pm. 

East to West

A couple of late afternoon stops at either end of the patch recorded six Great Northern and a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver on the sea off Teignmouth and the Little Ringed Plover and a White Wagtail still on the floods nr Newton Abbot hospital. The first Willow Warbler of the year sang briefly from neighbouring Jetty Marsh.

LRP

The Teigngrace pools again proved worth a look this morning with a Little Ringed Plover, two Green Sandpipers, two White Wagtails and eight Teal still. The area can be viewed from the cleared ground adjacent to the hospital access road (telescope needed). At the adjacent Jetty Marsh a Water Rail was calling, a Grey Heron dropped in and a Roe Deer was flushed.

Elsewhere a short seawatch from Teignmouth from 06:30 - 07:00 was unsurprisingly quiet given the relative lack of wind but did produce four Common Scoters, two Red-throated Divers, a Great Crested Grebe and half a dozen Guillemots. Other bits and pieces this morning included six Fieldfares on the racecourse, c.10 Sand Martins at Rackerhayes and two Mandarins which flew upriver at Passage House.

Grey Heron