A good start to the year with 73 species recorded on patch. After a cloudy but dry start heavy rain moved in by 10:00 and lasted until 13:30, by which time the wind was strong to gale force SE. Bird of the day was the
Sooty Shearwater that bombed its way north distantly past Teignmouth at 14:00, fifteen minutes after Laurie and I had settled into a seawatch that also produced 14+
Great Northern Divers (6+ on the sea and 8+ in flight), 150+
Kittiwakes, 40+
Fulmars, two
Common Scoters, three
Guillemots, a
Razorbill, 10+ auks and numerous
Gannets by 15:45.
Earlier in the day Decoy Country Park provided the hoped-for year ticks with the male
Scaup,
Gadwall and
Teal all still present and a decent selection of passerines in the woods including
Marsh Tit,
Nuthatch,
Treecreeper and a vocal
Firecrest. Passage House was also productive with two
Avocets bobbing about on the water alongside the usual selection of waders and gulls. Nearby Newton Abbot Racecourse held a pair of
Stonechats.
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