Goosander, Green Sandpiper

 A low-tide visit to the Passage House area this afternoon produced a redhead Goosander (the 150th species of the year), three Greenshanks and 46 Dunlin. Goosanders are barely annual visitors to the estuary despite regularly occurring (and breeding) on the River Teign. A check of the flooded meadows at Teigngrace revealed this Green Sandpiper.

WeBS

Totals from around the estuary across a bitterly cold weekend included 342 Oystercatchers, 87 Redshanks, four Greenshanks, 61 Dunlin, just 38 Curlew, 24 Turnstones, 10 Avocets, eight Ringed Plovers, three Knot, two Common Sandpipers, 27 Little Egrets, 18 Red-breasted Mergansers, 15 Mallards, 12 Shelducks, 10 Teal, seven Wigeon, eight Mute Swans, three Little Grebes and singles of Kingfisher, Lapwing and Snipe. The Knot, and increased Dunlin and Little Egret numbers, probably point to a slight influx from the freezing conditions.

Spot Red again

The Spotted Redshank was at Passage House on the dropping tide with 42 Redshank, 14 Curlew and 10 Oystercatcher. Also present three Red-breasted Merganser, two Kingfisher and a Common Sandpiper. 

At Decoy Lake another Kingfisher and eight Tufted Duck.