This summer I've been tracking a territorial male Firecrest and have had occasional glimpses of a female. Breeding was strongly suspected but frustratingly not confirmed, so it may be 2025 before a nesting attempt can be verified for the patch.
Very little change at Passage House on Monday compared with the previous week's WeBS count, with 51 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, 35 Little Egrets and an adult Mediterranean Gull of note.
The annual summer build up of Canada Geese reached new heights on Sunday, with a total of 304 loafing in the Passage House area. Also 310 Oystercatchers, 55 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, two Redshanks, six Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, one Dunlin, one Whimbrel, 36 Little Egrets, 48 Mute Swans, 25 Mallards, six Cormorants and a Kingfisher noted around the estuary.
A quick 20-minute seawatch off Teignmouth in the evening was relatively productive, with three Balearic Shearwaters, four Common Scoters, good numbers of Gannets and two skua species noted although all were quite distant (well beyond the line of the passing Dawlish to Shaldon rowing race).
Many hours have been spent looking at Newton Abbot racecourse over the years with rarely anything better than a Wheatear to show for the effort, so today's Great White Egret was a pleasant surprise. It was present from 08:20 - 09:00 at least and spent most of its time foraging in or alongside a distant ditch with three Little Egrets and a Grey Heron for company. Nearby at Passage House a smart juvenile Mediterranean Gull was on the spit as the tide dropped.
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| Great White Egret |
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| Raven |
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| Mediterranean Gull |
