Spotted Redshank lingers

I figured the racecourse would be a good bet for a Wheatear on Saturday morning, but half an hour scanning revealed just two Stonechats and two Reed Buntings. Onto Passage House where the Spotted Redshank finally did the decent thing and allowed good views from the car park, in the company of four Redshanks and not a lot else. Rackerhayes was also quiet but three pairs of Great Crested Grebes, two Willow Warblers and a leucistic Greenfinch were noted. Lastly a scan of the estuary from Flow Point produced another Great Crested Grebe and at least six Red-breasted Mergansers still.

Redshank (l), Spotted Redshank (r)

Rackerhayes

Showery weather attracted good numbers of Sand Martins to Rackerhayes over the weekend, with c.50 on Saturday and 30+ on Sunday. Single Willow Warblers were present both days but likely to be different individuals, alongside 5+ Chiffchaffs and 3+ Blackcaps. One of the two pairs of Great Crested Grebes already has three fledged young, which seems rather early; there are a further two non-paired adults so six in total. Other waterfowl included just a single Tufted Duck and the Bar-headed Goose still.

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

Great Crested Grebes

WeBS

The tide was so high on Sunday morning that a couple of Shags were able to dive over a flooded Flow Point. The one stretch of vegetation that hadn't been submerged was crowded with waders, with 71 Oystercatchers, 45 Dunlin, 33 Curlew, 15 Redshanks, 11 Turnstones, two Greenshanks, a Grey Plover and the Spotted Redshank jostling for space. Another 65 Oystercatchers and 18 Dunlin were roosting on the railway wall, and a further 45 Turnstones were at Teignmouth. Other totals from the wider estuary included 38 Shelducks, 21 Red-breasted Mergansers, 10 Mute Swans, two Mandarins (between Passage House and Netherton), six Little Egrets, 45 Common Gulls, two Kingfishers and single Little Grebe and Snipe. A scan from the top of Teignmouth yacht club revealed at least eight Great Northern Divers on the sea between Holcombe and Shaldon.