Bundle Head

Early morning visits to Bundle Head both yesterday and today in sunny conditions with a gentle northerly breeze revealed a few birds in the bushes and hedgerows. The highlights came today, with a Spotted Flycatcher in an ash tree briefly, and a Tree Pipit flushed from long grass. Around 15 Chiffchaffs were seen on both mornings, many of which were following a roving Long-tailed Tit flock. Other counts included one Willow Warbler, two Whitethroat and seven Blackcap. Very little passed overhead, however singles of Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagtail were recorded today with a trickle of Swallows.

Spotted Flycatcher

Whitethroat

Bundle Head in morning sunshine with recent scrub clearance

WeBS

Totals from today's WeBS count included 60 Curlew, three Whimbrel, three Black-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, one Snipe, 12 Greenshank, nine Common Sandpiper, 304 Oystercatcher, seven Turnstone, 30 Mute Swan, 29 Little Egret and c.18 Sandwich Tern.

Yellow-legged Gull?

Waders at Passage House this morning included three Greenshank, three Common Sandpipers and four Whimbrel, with a handful of Sandwich Terns, including a couple of juveniles, fishing down river.

This gull caught my eye when it took flight:

The dark wings, inner primaries, and pale white rump looked spot on for Yellow-legged Gull, however, when it landed, the notched tertials and speckling in greater coverts, as well as the rather 'soft' look suddenly left it looking like 'just' a Herring Gull. I'd be grateful for any opinions.

Med Gull influx

At least 23 Mediterranean Gulls - comprising five juveniles, a first-summer and 17+ second-summers and adults - were with the Black-headed Gull flock off Passage House on the falling tide this afternoon. This is probably a record for the Teign, and coincides with a record count this evening on the upper Exe Estuary at Topsham Rec where 62 have been counted. At the other end of the patch Kev recorded two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls on the Salty.

Juvenile Meds and LRP

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was a nice surprise to find at Passage House this morning, loosely associating with a group of six Dunlin. A Whimbrel and three Black-tailed Godwit also suggested the beginning of return wader passage.

As the tide rose, Mediterranean Gulls kept appearing in the Black-headed Gull flock, with a total of nine (3 ad., 2 2S, 3 1S and 3 juv.) eventually being seen.

A juvenile Water Rail also busily fed on the edge of the reedbed.

Dunlin and Little Ringed Plover

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull and Little Egret

Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwits

Curlew

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

A classic juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at Passage House was the standout bird of this morning's WeBS count; it may be the first juvenile to be recorded in Devon this year. Three adult Mediterranean Gulls were roosting with c.200 Black-headed Gulls at Flow Point although no terns could be picked out. Other totals included 84 Canada Geese, 38 Mute Swans, 10 Little Egrets, 31 Curlew, 15 Oystercatchers and two Common Sandpipers. Plastic waterfowl included presumably the same Bar-headed Goose seen in April back at Passage House.

Yellow-legged Gull

Late to the party

Arriving at Teignmouth at 9.30am, having seen a surprisingly good haul of seabirds up the coast at Dawlish Warren, I knew that the majority of passage would already have passed. Over the following 1.5 hours, six Balearic Shearwaters, six Arctic Skuas, one Fulmar, 10 'commic' terns, six Common Scoter and a Swift flew south, and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull showed close off the seafront.

WeBS

A typically quiet June count this morning produced 81 Canada Geese, 35 Mallards, 22 Mute Swans, 16 Little Egrets, 150 Herring Gulls, 53 Black-headed Gulls, two Great Black-backed Gulls, five Cormorants,10 Oystercatchers and a Ringed Plover. Shelducks appear to be having a mixed breeding season; there was just one chick alongside 14 adults at Flow Point, whereas at Passage House a single pair was accompanied by no fewer than 19 young! Typical clutch size is 8-10 although Shelducks are known to leave their offspring to be supervised by other parents.

A visit to Rackerhayes last Monday for the first time since pre-lockdown produced three Tufted Ducks, five Sand Martins, a Kingfisher, numerous Coots with chicks and a pair of Mute Swans with seven young.

Just before midnight a vocal Bar-tailed Godwit was flying over the Salty at Teignmouth, presumably a new arrival as not picked up on the count.

Back to work benefits

The first day back at the laptop provided a long awaited patch tick, when a female type Marsh Harrier was found flying low north over Teignmouth beach early afternoon, presumably driven into the coast by the foggy conditions.

More surprises followed after dark when in the space of 15 minutes a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover and a Greenshank flew over after 10pm.

WeBS

Despite the large number of people milling around the estuary it felt good to be out doing the WeBS count yesterday afternoon, after the April survey was suspended due to Covid-19. Totals included 23 Oystercatchers, 28 Mute Swans, 36 Shelducks, nine Mallards, eight Canada Geese, seven Cormorants, 12 Little Egrets, 70 Herring Gulls, 10 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Common Gull (unusual for May) and a Ringed Plover.

After the wintering population has departed, small numbers of Ringed Plovers 

stop by on passage during May.

On 12th May Alan Ford remarkably heard a Cuckoo calling from the middle of Teignmouth. Although regularly recorded only a few miles away, it is an exceptionally scarce bird around the estuary.