Wednesday 1 January 2014

New Year's Day

A day of near-constant rain and strong winds meant that birding was always going to be a struggle, but despite the adverse elements a decent total of 67 species was recorded around the Teign on the first day of 2014. Highlights included yesterday’s first-winter Glaucous Gull, a possible adult Yellow-legged Gull, the wintering Scaup and three Brent Geese in the estuary mouth (scarce here).

( Edit: Mike Langman has just let me know that the YLG looks more like a Herring x LBBG hybrid. I do agree with him, however I really did think it looked good. Thanks Mike. Does anyone else have an opinion on it? Laurie)

I started the New Year with a bit of dawn birding from the car at Passage House, where a Common Sandpiper was drifting downstream on some floating debris and flyover Little Egret were among a dozen species recorded in the first five minutes. I then drove to Teignmouth for a short seawatch, which didn’t produce anything special but Kittiwakes and Gannets were heading south in fair numbers close inshore, with 106 and 57 noted respectively inside 40 minutes along with a Fulmar. Moving on to Polly Steps got me the hoped-for small flocks of Turnstone and Ringed Plover, along with singles of Grey Wagtail and Rock Pipit.
A search for passerines at Bishopsteignton proved a waste of time given the conditions, so I headed round to Coombe Cellars to check the gulls on the estuary. I then received a call from Laurie informing me that the Glaucous Gull was off Hackney Lane near Passage House along with a possible adult Yellow-legged Gull. I turned around and drove back to meet Laurie where we obtained good views of both gulls, often in the same scope view (see Laurie’s photos below).
A brief visit home for lunch followed, before I was back out at a saturated Hackney Marshes. Locating passerines was no easier but I got lucky with a small party of finches containing Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Bullfinch, whilst on the racecourse Starlings, Lapwings and Curlews were foraging in the flooded areas. Laurie texted to say he’d just had three Brent Geese at Teignmouth but they’d flown off north. My final stop of the day was Decoy Country Park, where the drake Scaup and drake Gadwall showed with 36+ Tufted Duck on the lake and two Raven and a Buzzard appeared overhead during a break in the downpours. (Will)
First-winter Herring Gull (left), adult Great Black-backed Gull (centre), first-winter Glaucous Gull (right)
First-winter Glaucous Gull (fourth from left), possible adult Yellow-legged Gull (second from right)
Adult Yellow-legged Gull?? (centre)

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