Fall!

With the overnight wind and rain clearing to leave a calm, overcast dawn, I nipped into Hackney Marshes before work and it was soon evident that an arrival of migrants had occurred. As I walked along the cycle path beside the racecourse almost every bush had a warbler in it; I barely covered the western half of the reserve yet recorded 20+ Chiffchaffs (some territorial birds), 7+ Willow Warblers, 6 phyllosc sp, 12+ Blackcaps and a Goldcrest. The racecourse produced the first two patch Wheatears of the year plus a mixed flock of seven Swallows and nine Sand Martins, and on the rising tide at Passage House three Whimbrel and seven Common Sandpipers suggested spring wader passage is now properly underway.

Seawatching

Seawatching from 9:30-13:00 today, joined for a while by Will, was tricky at first, with lots of glare, and spray getting blown up onto the seafront.

Totals were 25+ Manx Shearwaters, 20+ Fulmars, 13 Great Northern Divers, 15 Common Scoter, three Great Crested Grebe, 30+ auks, one 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull, 27 Common Terns, five 'commic' terns, 20+ Sandwich Terns. Most of the Common Terns came through in flocks at about 12:30, with a possible Arctic Tern passing by earlier in the morning.

WeBS

Early April is not a great time for wetland birds on the Teign - many of the wintering species have departed and it's a bit early for passage waders such as Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit. This morning's totals were typically unexceptional but included 82 Oystercatchers, six Curlew, three Turnstones, a Common Sandpiper, two Teal, 23 Shelducks, 14 Little Egrets and three Sandwich Terns. A brief look at the racecourse produced nothing other than eight Skylarks and this Roe Deer.

Passage at High Tide

A quick post work look at Passage House showed just two waders but one was the first Black-tailed Godwit of the year, a smart summer plumaged individual; the other was a Redshank. Also there squealing Water Rail but none of the hoped for summer migrants.

Willow Warblers

The first Willow Warbler of the year was heard singing from by my house in Newton Abbot this morning, and later at Bundle Head, another was present along with 8+ Chiffchaffs. Two Sand Martins flew through, and two Sandwich Terns were out at sea.

Will also counted nine Sand Martins, eight Chiffchaffs and three Blackcaps around Hackney Marshes and the racecourse this morning.

Sandwich Terns galore

A scan out to sea from Teignmouth yacht club early evening yesterday revealed at least 23 Sandwich Terns, around a dozen of which were fishing by the pier before moving south. Nothing else of note offshore.

Sand Martins

At least five Sand Martins were visible from the entrance to Rackerhayes behind Tesco this afternoon; there were probably more over the main lake but the gate was locked. A Greenshank in summer plumage was in the channel at Passage House and, after 87 days, I finally added the notoriously shy and elusive Collared Dove to my patch year list.

Migrants...

...three Sandwich Tern on the Salty this evening take the prize as first summer migrants of the year on patch (if you overlook the Chiffchaffs and Lesser Black-backed Gulls that have arrived over the last couple of weeks). Also present at least six Red-breasted Merganser still and 19 Shelduck.

Migrantless

Despite three visits to Decoy, the racecourse and Passage House, and a single visit to Bundle Head over the past week, I still haven't managed to see a single migrant.

The Gadwall remains on Decoy along with 10 Tufted Duck and two Great Crested Grebes. My first singing Chiffchaff was in the woods.

Two Common Sandpipers were at Passage House with a pair of Red-breasted Merganser and a Kingfisher.

One of two Kestrels at Bundle Head

Bundle Head

WeBS

A good morning around the estuary in glorious sunshine, with counts between Passage House and Salcombe Dip including 209 Oystercatchers, 76 Curlew, 74 Redshanks, a Greenshank, five Ringed Plovers, four Common Sandpipers, two Turnstones, 18 Red-breasted Mergansers, seven Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, 58 Shelducks, eight Little Egrets, 575 Black-headed Gulls, 10 Common Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Also of note two Lesser Redpolls in scrub beneath the sewage works at Buckland.