WeBS

There is a reasonable sized flock of Oystercatchers spending the summer on the estuary with 53 roosting at Flow Point this morning; June counts in recent years have generally been in single figures. Also there single Whimbrel and Curlew, both also presumed summering. Other totals included 34 Little Egrets, three Grey Herons, 27 Mute Swans, eight Black-headed Gulls, 150 Herring Gulls, seven Cormorants, six Sandwich Terns, 16 Shelducks, 26 Mallards and 6 Canada Geese; the latter three species were all seen with young in attendance.

All quiet

On two high tide visits to Passage House over the last few days, the only birds of note were five Black-tailed Godwits that dropped in to roost on Friday evening. Today, four Painted Ladies were around the patch - there's obviously been an arrival over last couple of days.

Spring Dunlin passage

Small numbers of Dunlin continue to pass through the patch; yesterday there were a pair at Passage House and three at Flow Point, all displaying individual variation. Also noted around the upper estuary 38 Oystercatchers, 25 Little Egrets and singles of Greenshank and Curlew.

White Stork

During a scan of the sky from my house today at 16:45, I picked up a White Stork above Buckland. I watched it complete a couple of circles before deciding to run downstairs to grab my camera, but on my return I couldn't re-find it. I guess it was probably the same bird that had been seen previously during the day, first over Abbotskerswell at 13:20 and then at Haldon at 14:00, although the possibility of it being a second bird can't be ruled out.

WeBS

Not a great deal of note around the estuary this morning. Waders included five Whimbrel, two Curlew, 90 Oystercatchers, four Common Sandpipers, three Dunlin and a Greenshank; 15 Little Egrets, 22 Mute Swans and two Sandwich Terns were also noted. Another Whimbrel was foraging on Newton Abbot Racecourse, and seven Reed and two Sedge Warblers were singing in the reedbeds at nearby Hackney Marshes.

Antipodean (or maybe even Dutch) vagrants...

Just after 8pm on Wednesday 4th May a flock of five Black Swan flew south past Teignmouth, a slightly odd record, but Black Swan is an occasional sight around the patch. These have been presumed to originate either from the captive Dawlish birds or the feral breeding pair that were on the Exe for a couple of years.

What makes these birds slightly different is that they have been tracked along the south coast from Hampshire at least. The flock was at Keyhaven in 2nd May, stopping off at Christchurch Harbour and then Dawlish on the 4th May before flying past Teignmouth that evening and then pitching up at Slapton Ley on the 5th. Where next?

Common Whitethroat

On another late afternoon walk around Hackney Marshes, the year's first Sedge Warbler gave a short burst of song from one of the reedbeds. No sign of yesterday's Lesser Whitethroat, but a Common Whitethroat was briefly in the same bush. Eight Common Sandpipers were at Passage House.

Lesser Whitethroat

A Lesser Whitethroat was feeding in bushes in the south west corner of Hackney Marshes this afternoon, remaining there for the next couple of hours at least. The pollen around the base of its beak suggest it's a recent migrant, but hopefully it may stay to breed. Also, around the marshes were a Blackcap, three Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest, however still no Reed or Sedge Warblers.

Also no Wheatears on the racecourse, but good numbers of hirundines, with c.50 Swallow, c.25 Sand Martin and c.10 House Martin.

Kev had 12 Common Sandpipers and four Whimbrel at Passage House at high tide.

Wheatears and House Martins

Hackney Marshes was devoid of new migrants this morning so I was glad that the adjacent racecourse provided some interest with four Wheatears - two males and two females - and the first three House Martins of the year on patch. Laurie later saw seven of the latter from the railway station.

Yesterday I was working to the west of Newton Abbot, just outside the patch boundary and recorded two reeling Grasshopper Warblers and a Swift, with plenty of Swallows moving through.

Redstarts

An early walk around Bundle Head didn't really deliver the hoped for fall. The 15 or so Blackcaps and 10 Chiffchaffs seemed to be predominantly resident birds, and the visit was eventually rescued by two Redstarts. One gave good views before flying off out of view...

... unfortunately my camera couldn't focus!

The only real 'vis mig' bird was a Swallow. A quick look out to sea saw six Sandwich Terns and a single distant wader sp., with the size and feel of a Redshank, flying high to the south.