It's the Little things

An increase in variety during the week as autumn arrived, the clear highlight an adult Little Tern at Passage House on the Saturday (20th) morning high tide. A very rare species on patch, mostly offshore, this may even be the first Passage House record.  Unfortunately there was no sign later in the day, but a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit was present.

The highlight at the east end of the estuary was a breeding plumage Cattle Egret, roosting with gulls, on the Salty early Wednesday morning (24th), whilst nocturnal migrants over Teignmouth included Green Sandpiper on the 21st & 27th and Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel on 22nd. A first winter Yellow-legged Gull feeding offshore on 22nd was an overdue first for the year.

Mid estuary the immature male Eider remained off Flow Pont throughout. 

Imm male Eider, Flow Point, Teign Estuary, 7pm. @ShiphayBirder @markrabailey @DevonBirder pic.twitter.com/YW56SVWn5a

— Chris Gladman (@AnchorBirder) August 22, 2022

A hint of autumn

The welcome change in weather provided some overnight movement with single Green Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover calling over Teignmouth. Otherwise quiet, still waiting for the first autumn Yellow-legged Gull...

WeBS, Eider

It was nice to catch up with the juvenile/first-winter male Eider on Sunday morning, loafing with gulls off Flow Point. It has been present on the estuary for at least a month (photo on Devon Birds here). Good numbers of waders and other waterbirds were present despite the inevitable throngs of paddleboarders causing disturbance to roosts; totals included 263 Oystercatchers, 86 Curlew, 21 Ringed Plovers, 15 Common Sandpipers, 12 Greenshanks, four Whimbrels, eight Cormorants, six Shags, two Sandwich Terns, 31 Little Egrets, 67 Canada Geese, 29 Mallards, 21 Mute Swans, and singles of Redshank, Dunlin, Turnstone, Water Rail and Kingfisher.

WeBS

On the estuary this morning before the heat kicked in: 76 Oystercatchers, 42 Curlews, 10 Whimbrels, nine Common Sandpipers, seven Greenshanks, three Dunlin, 600+ Herring Gulls, 350 Black-headed Gulls, four Mediterranean Gulls (three juveniles and a first-summer), a Great Black-backed Gull, four Sandwich Terns, 107 Canada Geese, one Bar-headed Goose, 28 Mute Swans, 27 Mallards, 38 Little Egrets, four Cormorants and the female Red-breasted Merganser still. 

Ring-necked Parakeet

A Ring-necked Parakeet flew south over my garden in Kingsteignton at 8.00pm last night. Possibly a wandering bird from the small Exmouth population, it was first picked up on call and it provided an unexpected midsummer house and patch tick. 

Summer RB Merganser

This female Red-breasted Merganser has been present on the upper estuary since at least May. It seems healthy enough with no apparent signs of injury. Red-breasted Mergansers are rare in summer in Devon, although breeding is not unheard of and was last confirmed in 2003. 

WeBS, more kites

Quiet on the estuary on Sunday morning, with second-year Mediterranean Gull at Passage House the only bird of note. Totals included 34 Mute Swans, 20 Shelducks (no juveniles seen), eight Mallards, four Cormorants, 14 Little Egrets, 52 Herring Gulls, four Black-headed Gulls, two Great Black-backed Gulls, 24 Oystercatchers, two Turnstones and singles of  Red-breasted Merganser (female, possibly an injured bird) and Whimbrel. There was also a small movement of Red Kites noted from mid-morning, with four west over Kingsteignton from 09:30 - 09:45.

On Friday a White Stork was circling over Kingsteignton (details here although unclear as to whether it was ringed or not). Last Wednesday a Wheatear was on the racecourse and a Bar-headed Goose was associating with the Canadas at Rackerhayes.

Patch mega...

 ...is sadly now the status of Cuckoo on patch, one calling at dusk from Broad Meadow, Teignmouth on 2 May was just the third record in the last ten years. 

Nocturnal wader migration was also notable on the 2nd with a Whimbrel calling over Teignmouth early morning and a Bar-tailed Godwit over late evening. On the dropping overnight tide both Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit were vocal on or over The Salty with a couple of Dunlin and a Sanderling. The latter a scarce bird on the Teign, but the second this year after one at Passage House on 12 April. 

The bank holiday weather did not finish there, with the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year singing occasionally in Bitton Park, Teignmouth on the morning of the 3rd and the year's first Swift over the town

LRP, Red Kite

A couple of patch scarcities from the past few days: on Tuesday Kev had a Little Ringed Plover at Passage House, and yesterday a Red Kite went south over Kingsteignton at 10:35 in the company of four Buzzards.

House Martins are back over the centre of Kingsteignton but no sign of any Swifts yet this morning around the church. Greenfinch numbers seem to be up slightly this year; hopefully the start of a recovery from their recent decline.

A darker shade of pale

The Spotted Redshank remains on the estuary and is moulting rapidly into breeding plumage. Its favoured area has seemingly been finally pinned down with it feeding on the north shore between Loxton's Steps and Passage House. 

A Red-legged Partridge at Netherton was a scarce patch bird although no doubt released; at least the Golden & Lady Amhurst's Pheasants had the presence of mind to escape!

Elsewhere Whitethroat and House Martin were at Coombe Cellars and a Great Northern Diver was off Teignmouth with at least 48 Manx Shearwater.