Gullwatching

While a juvenile Glaucous Gull was giving close views a few miles away at Hope's Nose yesterday, I was picking through the larids between Passage House and Coombe Cellars hoping to find a white-winger, unfortunately to no avail. There weren't actually that many gulls present, and only four species with just 32 Common Gulls and 29 Great Black-backed Gulls among the ubiquitous Herring and Black-headed Gulls. Otherwise totals of 16 Avocets and six Wigeon were both respectable counts for the Teign.

This morning at Rackerhayes there was little indication of a waterfowl influx ahead of the imminent colder weather, although Tufted Ducks had increased to 21 and the two Pochards remained. A pair of Great Crested Grebes, perhaps sensing the increasing day length, performed their courtship display briefly.

WeBS

A Dark-bellied Brent Goose mingling with 27 Shelducks on Flow Point was the highlight of yesterday's count. Wader totals were mixed, with 291 Oystercatchers, 63 Curlew and 27 Redshanks and just one Lapwing all below par for the time of year but 26+ Turnstones, 14 Dunlin, seven Ringed Plovers, seven Greenshanks, seven Avocets and two Common Sandpipers being around or slightly above average. Other totals included 26 Red-breasted Mergansers, 18 Mute Swans, 16 Mallards, three Wigeon, three Little Grebes and one Kingfisher.

Pochards

 An increasingly scarce winter visitor, this pair of Pochards was still on Rackerhayes this morning along with 16 Tufted Ducks, three Gadwalls and two Great Crested Crebes. 

Avocets

The Teign's usual handful of wintering Avocets has arrived, with seven roosting at Passage House this morning alongside c.50 Redshanks, three Greenshanks and 10 Little Egrets, with 28 Mute Swans and six Little Grebes in the channels. A check of Rackerhayes produced 18 Tufted Ducks, two Pochards, two Gadwalls, two Shovelers and two Great Crested Grebes.