WeBS

Plenty to see on the estuary this morning, aided by a very high spring tide shortly after sunrise. The wintering Spotted Redshank popped up on Flow Point but only allowed brief views while foraging around the fringes of the the submerged saltmarsh. The flock of Avocets, now up to 24 birds, roosting at Passage House was a welcome sight after no records at the tail end of 2023, and Turnstones continue to increase with 56 at Teignmouth, six on Flow Point and one at Passage House. Oystercatcher numbers were down (249) but this was probably due to them vacating their usual roost location on the estuary wall. Other totals included 69 Curlew, 40+ Redshanks, 11 Greenshanks, 41 Dunlin, five Ringed Plovers, two Black-tailed Godwits, one Common Sandpiper, 14 Little Egrets, 34 Shelducks, 29 Red-breasted Mergansers, 20 Mallards, 12 Mute Swans, six Teal, two Wigeon, two Little Grebes, one Kingfisher and one Great Northern Diver (by Shaldon bridge).

A brief check of the sea off Teignmouth revealed a party of five Red-throated Divers, three Great Northern Divers and at least eight Fulmars on the cliffs towards Holcombe.

Newton pit-stops

 A visit to Newton on Monday 8th allowed for quick checks of Decoy and Passage House. At Decoy, pairs of Shoveler and Teal were notable, as for the opposite reason, were just three Coot and two Tufted Duck. A flock of 20 Avocet were unexpected at Passage House.

Back east, up to six Great Northern Diver have been in the estuary off Teignmouth.

Cirl Buntings

A late morning visit to RSPB land east of Bishopsteignton under a cloudless sky produced c.20 Cirl Buntings, 30+ Skylarks and 20+ Linnets on the winter stubbles, with four Buzzards, two Peregrines and two Ravens overhead enjoying the conditions. Earlier in Kingsteignton a Firecrest had given incredibly close views near the entrance to Hackney Marshes.

New Year's Day

A respectable 74 species to start the year despite the arrival of yet more rain by midday. First stop was Rackerhayes where the woodland delivered Marsh Tit, Chiffchaff, Treecreeper, Stock Dove, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers although the standout sighting was a Weasel by the boardwalk. The ponds themselves held 10 Tufted Ducks and four Great Crested Grebes, and back in Kingsteignton a male Blackcap was near the church. Switching to the estuary, a Rock Pipit was on Flow Point and 29 Red-breased Mergansers and 21 Dunlin were in the vicinity of Arch Brook. Poor visibility hampered a brief lunchtime seawatch off Teignmouth although single Kittiwake, Gannet and Great Northern Diver were noted, two Ravens flew over and a party of Turnstones was on the Salty. Water Rail, Little Grebe and Lapwing were later added at Passage House and a pair of Stonechats was on the racecourse. 

Rock Pipit

Marsh Tit

WeBS, Purple Sandpiper

It was heartening to hear a couple of Song Thrushes singing around the patch today; on the estuary itself it was still very much mid-winter in terms of numbers and variety. Totals included 371 Oystercatchers, 64 Curlew, 53 Turnstones, 40 Redshanks, 10 Greenshanks, 27 Dunlin, nine Ringed Plovers, one Common Sandpiper, 28 Red-breasted Mergansers (good to see them back in numbers), 22 Shelducks, 12 Cormorants, eight Mute Swans, two Little Grebes, eight Little Egrets, one Great Northern Diver (by Shaldon Bridge), 16 Common Gulls, one Lesser Black-backed Gull and one Kingfisher. 

A Purple Sandpiper was photographed below the Point car park in Teignmouth on Thursday, but there was no sign of it today.

Turnstones (Alan Ford)

Pied Wagtail (Alan Ford)

WeBS, Spotted Redshank

Blustery, drizzly weather and a low spring tide did not make for ideal counting conditions on Sunday morning, but the Spotted Redshank was picked up off Passage House as it came to roost with c.50 Redshanks. At the other end of the estuary 45 Turnstones were split between the Shaldon bridge (21) and the pontoon off Teignmouth back beach (24). Other totals included 205 Oystercatchers, 74 Curlew, 27 Dunlin, 13 Greenshanks, three Ringed Plovers, 12 Shelducks, five Little Grebes, nine Cormorants, eight Shags and one Great Crested Grebe.

Shag

Marsh Tits

Rackerhayes was good value for passerines on Wednesday morning, the highlight being three Marsh Tits - my best count for the site. Also one Firecrest, one or two Chiffchaffs, 20+ Siskins, two Treecreepers, two Nutchatches and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers among the more common residents. Tufted Ducks have finally started to return with four birds present on the main pond.

Firecrests

The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the frequency of Firecrest sightings around the patch, to the point now where they are almost expected in the right habitat on a late autumn or winter's day, and it is likely that breeding will be proven in the next few years. Over the weekend I came across three separate individuals at Bundle Head, The Ness and Decoy; at the latter site they are often found in the holly understorey of the woodland south and west of the lake. Not a lot else was noted; many thousands of Woodpigeons were picked up distantly from Bundle Head on Saturday morning but most appeared to head inland following the estuary rather than the coast.

The tide is high

Sunday morning saw one of the highest spring tides in recent years, resulting in the usual estuary roosts becoming almost completely submerged. Consequently many of the waders were flighty and unsettled, especially the Redshanks which prevented an accurate count but a minimum of 100 were scattered about between Salcombe Dip and Passage House. Also noted 208 Oystercatchers, 28 Curlew, seven Ringed Plovers, six Greenshanks, five Dunlin, one Black-tailed Godwit, three Kingfishers, 21 Little Egrets, three Little Grebes, two Wigeon and a Teal. A flock of 16 Shags floating downriver was an odd sight, but the most unusual record of the morning was a Kestrel that flew over Passage House; this species is now very scarce locally away from the coast.

Happy hour

I could only manage 60 minutes on Bundle Head this morning but it proved to be an hour very well spent. In clear, calm conditions passerines were on the move before sunrise, with pigeons joining the party shortly afterwards. From 07:45 - 08:45 I logged 4,150 Woodpigeons, 210 Goldfinches, 169 Meadow Pipits, 95 Chaffinches, 91 Linnets, 53 Siskins, 19 Pied/White Wagtails, 17 Swallows, seven Stock Doves, six Bullfinches, three Song Thrushes and singles of Redpoll, Skylark and Great Spotted Woodpecker all heading south. The Woodpigeons attracted the attention of a couple of Peregrines which succeeded in splitting up several large flocks without reducing any in number. 

Elsewhere this afternoon Kev found a 1cy Caspian Gull on The Salty, and on Thursday a Little Gull showed well to several observers off the Point car park in Teignmouth.

Woodpigeons at Bundle Head (Hope's Nose in the background)