This summer I've been tracking a territorial male Firecrest and have had occasional glimpses of a female. Breeding was strongly suspected but frustratingly not confirmed, so it may be 2025 before a nesting attempt can be verified for the patch.
Very little change at Passage House on Monday compared with the previous week's WeBS count, with 51 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, 35 Little Egrets and an adult Mediterranean Gull of note.
The annual summer build up of Canada Geese reached new heights on Sunday, with a total of 304 loafing in the Passage House area. Also 310 Oystercatchers, 55 Curlew, 12 Greenshanks, two Redshanks, six Ringed Plovers, five Common Sandpipers, one Dunlin, one Whimbrel, 36 Little Egrets, 48 Mute Swans, 25 Mallards, six Cormorants and a Kingfisher noted around the estuary.
A quick 20-minute seawatch off Teignmouth in the evening was relatively productive, with three Balearic Shearwaters, four Common Scoters, good numbers of Gannets and two skua species noted although all were quite distant (well beyond the line of the passing Dawlish to Shaldon rowing race).
Many hours have been spent looking at Newton Abbot racecourse over the years with rarely anything better than a Wheatear to show for the effort, so today's Great White Egret was a pleasant surprise. It was present from 08:20 - 09:00 at least and spent most of its time foraging in or alongside a distant ditch with three Little Egrets and a Grey Heron for company. Nearby at Passage House a smart juvenile Mediterranean Gull was on the spit as the tide dropped.
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| Great White Egret |
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| Raven |
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| Mediterranean Gull |
Nothing exciting on the estuary this morning but some reasonable numbers and variety. Totals included 113 Oystercatchers, 45 Curlew, eight Greenshanks, six Whimbrels, five Common Sandpipers, 29 Little Egrets, four Grey Herons, two juvenile Water Rails, six Cormorants, 10 Sandwich Terns, 465 Black-headed Gulls, only one Mediterranean Gull, 140 Canada Geese, 63 Mute Swans, 20 Mallards and a Mandarin. Zero Shelducks was also noteworthy, perhaps indicating a lack of breeding success this year.
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| Sandwich Terns |
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| Mediterranean Gull (centre) |
A quiet June count last Sunday produced 147 Canada Geese, 27 Mute Swans, 19 Shelducks, 22 Little Egrets, seven Oystercatchers, three Curlew, 300+ Herring Gulls, 15 Black-headed Gulls, two Great Black-backed Gulls, two Cormorants and one Shag. Late news for 6 June - Kev had a great house tick in the form of a Night Heron heard flying over Teignmouth at night.
It might be approaching the end of May but some of the Teignmouth Turnstones appear to be in no rush to reach their Arctic or Scandinavian breeding grounds. Or, the 15 birds present off the Back Beach this afternoon comprise passage birds that don't form part of the usual wintering population.
Little else of note over the past week bar a handful of Red Kites over Kingsteignton on the 13th and 15th.
A fairly productive seawatch (by Teignmouth spring standards) from 07:30 - 08:30 this morning, although there was a sense that a lot more was passing just beyond view. Auks were constantly streaming south in loose flocks, with around 250 recorded in total; those close enough to identify were all Guillemots. Kittiwakes also just about made three figures, with a couple being harassed by a dark phase Arctic Skua. Also noted 50+ Gannets, 21 Manx Shearwaters, five Great Northern Divers, four Red-throated Divers, four diver sp., nine Fulmars, five Common Scoters and three Whimbrel.
