Turnstones in a row

Alan Ford captured these 13 Turnstones roosting off Polly Steps, Teignmouth last weekend.

WeBS

A fairly unremarkable count this morning with some wader numbers lower than average. Totals included 346 Oystercatchers, 70 Curlew, 41 Redshanks, 11 Turnstones, nine Dunlin, eight Ringed Plovers, five Greenshanks, three Common Sandpipers, the female Goldeneye, 20 Red-breasted Mergansers, 44 Shelducks and four Little Grebes. A look off Teignmouth seafront revealed the five Eiders, a couple of Razorbills and a pod of 6-7 Common Dolphins.

Firecrest, Goldeneye, Eiders and divers

A few bits and pieces from various sites today included a Firecrest and 16 Tufted Ducks at Decoy Country Park, the wintering female Goldeneye at Passage House, a Peregrine over Coombe Cellars and close views of a Water Rail at Hackney Marshes. A look at the sea off Teignmouth yacht club around noon was quite productive with the five Eiders, 13 Common Scoters, 14+ Guillemots, three Great Northern Divers and a good total of 13 Red-throated Divers, eight of which arrived in a single flock.

Decoy Country Park

Velvet Scoter

A Velvet Scoter was with 10 Common Scoter off Sprey Point this morning with singles of Great Northern Diver and Guillemot, with a distant feeding flock of Gannets and Kittiwakes far offshore.

On the estuary, 270+ Oystercatcher were roosting at Flow Point with eight Dunlin and a lone Red-breasted Merganser out on the water. At least 37 Curlew were at Passage House.

On Decoy Lake, the Tufted Duck count has increased to 15 with the Great Northern Diver having seemingly departed.

The Green Sandpiper was still present at Teigngrace in the exact same spot.

Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

A Green Sandpiper was present on the flooded field at Teigngrace late this afternoon with 11 Teal and a Stonechat.

Teal with Green Sandpiper (right)

Welcome to 2019

Happy New Year to all. There are few observers around the patch as we start off 2019 but still a few good birds to be found. Lingering scarcities from 2018 include five Eider off Teignmouth, the Great Northern Diver on Decoy Lake and the Goldeneye on the upper estuary.

A morning around the patch on the 2nd saw four Mistle Thrush on the racecourse, 10 Golden Plover over Hackney Marshes where two Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler showed well, 10 Tufted Duck with the diver at Decoy and on the estuary from Lower Netherton four Avocet with 84 Curlew, 56 Redshank, 11 Lapwing and six Greenshank.

A colour-ringed Black-headed Gull (yellow TJ3A) seen by Dave Smallshire at Decoy Lake coming to bread on 1 January was ringed as a chick at a lake in SW Poland, Zalew Mietkowski (SW of Wroclaw) on 11 June 2017, and was seen by Nick Potter at Bowling Green Marsh on 19 June 2018.