Not a bad end to the month, with the first Cattle Egret of the year at Teigngrace and as many as 15 Little Gulls (a mix of adults and first-winter birds) scattered along the seafront between Teignmouth pier and Sprey Point. At least 12 Great Northern Divers were also in the Teignmouth area.
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| Little Gulls |
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| Cattle Egret |
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| Marsh Harrier |
Lower than expected numbers of birds on the estuary for this morning's count (postponed from last weekend when both high tides fell during hours of darkness), likely due to the recent turbulent conditions. Totals included 280 Oystercatchers, 49 Turnstones, 20 Snipe, 25 Redshanks, four Greenshanks, nine Avocets, six Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, 16 Shelducks, seven Mute Swans, five Little Grebes, three Great Northern Divers (two at Teignmouth and one at Flow Point) and one Great Crested Grebe.
Teigngrace, by contrast, was a hive of activity with the flooded fields holding a further two Greenshanks, a Green Sandpiper, six Mandarins, six Teal, two Shovelers, 100+ Mallards, 18 Mute Swans and a Bar-headed Goose with numerous Canada Geese. On the racecourse were two Lapwings (perhaps last winter's pair) and two Stonechats. At Teignmouth two Little Gulls continued to show around what's left of the pier.
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| Great Northern Diver |
One of the few upsides to this week's relentlessly wet and windy weather has been an arrival of Little Gulls to the region. Yesterday two appeared off Teignmouth seafront, and this morning up to four were present, so another lunch break dash was on the cards. I bumped into David Cope and we picked up several birds north of the yacht club; upon closer inspection there were seven adults getting blown about. I had to leave soon after arrival but David had another five adults and two first-winters at Sprey Point to go with the adult by the pier, so at least 15 Little Gulls were present along the stretch of coast for a time. Later Kev had an adult on the Salty with a remarkable 2250+ Herring Gulls.
Unusually, the wind has been blasting from a south-easterly direction for several days and is set to continue until at least tomorrow afternoon, so who knows what might turn up over the weekend.
A quick lunch-break look around Teignmouth revealed four Great Northern Divers sheltering from the elements in the harbour, with a further four birds opting for a more adventurous life on the stormy sea. No unusual gulls noted but there was a steady stream of Kittiwakes heading south offshore.
An encouraging start to the year with 79 species recorded. The Yellow-browed Warbler put in another appearance along Whitelake Channel with a male Blackcap and several Chiffchaffs in the same area. At Arch Brook presumably the same Spotted Redshank is back for another winter, but there was no sign of the two Spoonbills reported a couple of days ago. In the Passage House area 16 Avocets, two Wigeon, one Common Sandpiper, one Black-tailed Godwit and a calling Cetti's Warbler were noted.
Rackerhayes provided all of the expected wetland and woodland species including 23 Tufted Ducks, two Mandarins, Siskin, Bullfinch, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch and Treecreeper, plus one of four Firecrests recorded throughout the day (others were at Golvers Hill and Hackney Marshes). Off Teignmouth seafront there was pod of 10+ Common Dolphins and at least one Harbour Porpoise but few birds - just one Red-throated Diver, one Gannet and a handful of Shags, Cormorants and Guillemots.
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| Spotted Redshank |
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| Mistle Thrush |