A couple of hours' birding around the middle and upper estuary yesterday morning began along Buckland Road with a flock of 12 Fieldfares in one of the horse paddocks. Fieldfares seem to be quite scarce this year, possibly due to the lack of cold weather in the south-west. After a scan of the estuary from the bottom of Hackney Lane that produced only a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Dunlin of note, I drove on to Coombe Cellars as the tide began to fall. There were plenty of Black-headed Gulls out on the mud but disappointingly few large gulls, and nothing unusual amongst them. I did see 10 of the 11 Avocets reported earlier in the week; nice to see an increase in their numbers. 19 Red-breasted Mergansers were loafing about over towards Flow Point and a Kingfisher flew low over the reedbed, where a Reed Bunting and a Water Rail both called.
The Kingsteignton Black Redstart has been showing fairly well for the past few days, foraging in the earthworks surrounding the house being built on Tarrs Lane.
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