Black Red again

Teignmouth Port has traditionally been the most reliable place to find Black Redstart around the Teign, and on Sunday morning one duly obliged after a short search - possibly the same bird seen on the roof of the Jolly Sailor a couple of weeks ago. A quick scan off the seafront produced two Common Scoters, at least one Great Northern Diver and a very close Kittiwake foraging along the shore with Black-headed Gulls.

Black Redstart

Marsh Tit

A first visit to Rackerhayes since the spring was rewarded with a Marsh Tit, seen and heard twice in scrub on the eastern side, along with two Chiffchaffs, three Bullfinches, 10+ Siskins and singles of Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and Kingfisher. Waterfowl numbers were disappointing with just three Tufted Ducks and two Great Crested Grebes of note.

WeBS, Spotted Redshank, Black Redstart

A Spotted Redshank roosting with c.50 Redshanks at Flow Point was the highlight of Sunday morning's count; hopefully it'll remain on the estuary for the winter. Other totals included 320 Oystercatchers, 61 Curlew, 18 Turnstones, six Dunlin, four Ringed Plovers, 21 Mute Swans, nine Shelducks, eight Red-breasted Mergansers, six Teal, four Wigeon, three Little Grebes, 15 Cormorants, six Shags, two Common Gulls, one Lesser Black-backed Gull and one Kingfisher. A Black Redstart on the roof of the Jolly Sailor pub in Teignmouth (photos here) and on Saturday, a Dipper was singing on the River Lemon in Newton Abbot by the Albany Street bridge.