A Yellow-browed Warbler was a great find in Eastcliff Park, Teignmouth, a few hundred metres north of the patch.
At Passage House an evening roost of over 200 Pied Wagtail attracted the interest of two Sparrowhawk, with single Kingfisher and Common Sandpiper also present.
Due to the height of the tide most waders roosted in the vicinity of Flow Point on Saturday morning, including the first patch Knot for a couple of years and a brief but vocal Green Sandpiper. Unusually high numbers of Shag were in the estuary, with at least 28 between Ringmore and Passage House, and 62 Mallards was also a big count. Other totals from the estuary included 326 Oystercatchers, 55 Curlew, 30 Turnstones, 12 Greenshanks, eight Ringed Plovers, seven Dunlin, three Kingfishers, 20 Mute Swans, four Teal, 39 Little Egrets and singles of Redshank, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper and Great Crested Grebe. A Great White Egret was reported separately from Red Rock.
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| Shags |
Thanks to the local Ravens I was alerted to the presence of a Red Kite heading south-west over Kingsteignton at midday. September records are unusual as Red Kite is almost exclusively a spring bird around the Teign, but this is likely to change as the breeding population edges ever closer.
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| A dark terminal band to the tail is visible, which helps mark this bird as a juvenile |
It's been a quiet start to the month around the patch, with regular ongoing disturbance disrupting high tide roosts on the estuary. The racecourse held an eclectic mix of species this morning, with one Wheatear, one Stonechat, one Grey Wagtail, two White Wagtails, c.40 Pied Wagtails, seven Little Egrets, one Grey Heron, two Mallards and three Roe Deer noted. On Thursday there were 22 Ringed Plovers at Flow Point.
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| Grey Heron |
This summer I've been tracking a territorial male Firecrest and have had occasional glimpses of a female. Breeding was strongly suspected but frustratingly not confirmed, so it may be 2025 before a nesting attempt can be verified for the patch.
Very little change at Passage House on Monday compared with the previous week's WeBS count, with 51 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, 35 Little Egrets and an adult Mediterranean Gull of note.
The annual summer build up of Canada Geese reached new heights on Sunday, with a total of 304 loafing in the Passage House area. Also 310 Oystercatchers, 55 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, two Redshanks, six Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, one Dunlin, one Whimbrel, 36 Little Egrets, 48 Mute Swans, 25 Mallards, six Cormorants and a Kingfisher noted around the estuary.
A quick 20-minute seawatch off Teignmouth in the evening was relatively productive, with three Balearic Shearwaters, four Common Scoters, good numbers of Gannets and two skua species noted although all were quite distant (well beyond the line of the passing Dawlish to Shaldon rowing race).
Many hours have been spent looking at Newton Abbot racecourse over the years with rarely anything better than a Wheatear to show for the effort, so today's Great White Egret was a pleasant surprise. It was present from 08:20 - 09:00 at least and spent most of its time foraging in or alongside a distant ditch with three Little Egrets and a Grey Heron for company. Nearby at Passage House a smart juvenile Mediterranean Gull was on the spit as the tide dropped.
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| Great White Egret |
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| Raven |
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| Mediterranean Gull |
Nothing exciting on the estuary this morning but some reasonable numbers and variety. Totals included 113 Oystercatchers, 45 Curlew, eight Greenshanks, six Whimbrels, five Common Sandpipers, 29 Little Egrets, four Grey Herons, two juvenile Water Rails, six Cormorants, 10 Sandwich Terns, 465 Black-headed Gulls, only one Mediterranean Gull, 140 Canada Geese, 63 Mute Swans, 20 Mallards and a Mandarin. Zero Shelducks was also noteworthy, perhaps indicating a lack of breeding success this year.
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| Sandwich Terns |
