Spot Fly

Bundle Head on Friday morning produced one Spotted Flycatcher, three Whitethroats, eight Blackcaps, two Stonechats, c.20 Swallows, c.50 House Martins and one Sand Martin. At Passage House 31 Little Egrets, seven Whimbrel, six Common Sandpipers and the first two Kingfishers of the autumn.

Spotted Flycatcher

House Martins

WeBS, Osprey

I usually manage to catch at least one Osprey on the Teign Estuary each year but it's taken a decade to finally see one succeed in catching a fish. Today's bird (an adult) spent about 20 minutes hunting between Coombe Cellars and Ringmore before finally succeeding and carrying its prey off inland over Bishopsteignton at 10:00. Prior to this the WeBS count revealed good numbers of waders on the estuary, with 317 Oystercatchers, 57+ Curlew, 21 Ringed Plovers, 13 Greenshanks, 11 Dunlin, 10 Common Sandpipers, five Whimbrels and three Turnstones present between Teignmouth and Passage House. Also noted 131 Canada Geese, 31 Mute Swans, 15 Mallards, 38 Little Egrets, seven Cormorants, two Sandwich Terns, c.450 Black-headed Gulls, c.250 Herring Gulls, five Great Black-backed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull. 

Tree Pipit

A Tree Pipit was the highlight of a fairly quiet ninety minutes on Bundle Head this morning. It pitched up in a patch of bramble scrub that also held two Whitethroats and a male and juvenile Stonechat. Otherwise just three Blackcaps, one Willow Warbler, 6+ Bullfinches, a juvenile Green Woodpecker and a handful of Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows.

Tern passage

Another fairly productive seawatch (by Teignmouth standards) from 06:15 - 08:00 on Saturday morning. Small groups of terns were heading south, with totals of 54 Sandwich Terns and 18 Common Terns logged; some of these may have roosted at Dawlish Warren on Friday evening. Gannet and Kittiwake were also moving in good numbers especially during breaks in the rain, estimated at 300+ and 400+ respectively. Also noted 30 Manx Shearwaters, six Common Scoters, five Mediterranean Gulls (four adults and a juvenile), two Arctic Skuas, two Turnstones, a Guillemot and a Fulmar.

Pomarine Skua

A short Teignmouth seawatch from 16:40 - 17:40 on Friday after the worst of the rain had cleared was productive, with a dark Pomarine Skua at 17:35 the highlight. There were also four Arctic Skuas, three of which were hassling Kittiwakes, and a flock of c.40 Common Scoters on the sea. Heading south were 29 Manx Shearwaters, six Sandwich Terns, a juvenile Common Tern, four Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Black-backed Gull and a Fulmar.

This evening a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the Salty, with it or another also around the estuary mouth on Thursday. 

WeBS, Med Gull influx

July is the best month for Mediterranean Gulls on the Teign Estuary as birds disperse from breeding colonies, and a total of 14 at Passage House over high tide this morning was a good count although there were no juveniles amongst them. There was a reasonable mix of waders on the estuary including 42 Curlew, 29 Oystercatchers, three Greenshanks, three Common Sandpipers, one Black-tailed Godwit and one Whimbrel. Other totals included 132 Canada Geese, 40 Mute Swans, 30 Mallards, four adult Shelducks plus four recently fledged young, 31 Little Egrets, three Grey Herons, 240 Black-headed Gulls (five juveniles) and five Cormorants.

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls and a second-summer bird among Black-headed Gulls

Osprey, WeBS

Thanks to the local gulls sounding the alarm I was able to pick up an Osprey over my house heading towards the estuary at 13:45 yesterday. This is the second June Osprey on the patch in three years, with another bird following almost the same flight path in 2021. 

Typical mid-June fare around the estuary this morning: 134 Canada Geese, 49 Mute Swans, 14 Mallards, 12 adult Shelducks plus two juveniles, 18 Black-headed Gulls, 16 Little Egrets, 16 Oystercatchers, 15 Curlew and six Cormorants. A Coot was heard over Teignmouth last night with a Green Sandpiper on Wednesday night.

Honk Honk, patch tick

...of sorts! A single Bar-headed Goose was heard calling over Teignmouth on the night of the 4th June, heading west amongst Canada Geese. Presumably the long-stayer from the Exe.

A Bar-tailed Godwit flew over early morning on the 2nd June, with a second calendar year Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid on the Salty the next day. 

More rare herons

26th May saw the appearance of another two rare herons on the patch. Lee Collins had a Great White Egret at Passage House during the morning, last seen flying off in the direction of Flow Point. Having been absent prior to 2021, this species has now been recorded annually since. In the evening a Purple Heron flew in off the sea at Teignmouth and continued up the estuary (per Birdguides) but wasn't seen again unfortunately.

Late raptor news - a Red Kite was over Kingsteignton on 19th May.

Whimbrels, Yellow Wagtail

Five Whimbrels were at Flow Point over high tide on Sunday morning. Few other waders present; just one Curlew and 41 Oystercatchers. As I was walking back to the car an unseen Yellow Wagtail called overhead.