I didn't have much time this morning, but found myself on Seaton Beach looking over a fairly flat sea with excellent visibility. I was only there for about ten seconds when two Balearic Shearwaters came into view and flew west, which I wasn't really expecting. By the time I had to leave half an hour later I had seen 13 fly west, including a group of six. I enjoyed some really nice views over the smooth sea, although this video-grab doesn't really suggest that...
An award winning shot of three Balearic Shearwaters flying west
Gannet passage was probably best described as a steady trickle, with 62 recorded in the half-hour, along with 30+ auk sp. also west.
A quick look along the river valley showed one Bar-tailed Godwit still, two Ruff (juvenile male and female on Colyford scrape, male for second day, female for fourth), three Ringed Plover, three Greenshank, three Shoveler and 51 Wigeon.
On Saturday morning I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of wildfowl in the valley, presumably a result of the north east wind that had been dominating the weather that day and for several days previous. 80+ Teal and 33 Wigeon were accompanied by a female Pintail and a single Gadwall on Bridge Marsh and a flock of five Gadwall and two Shoveler on the Estuary. The five Gadwall relocated to the Borrow Pit on Seaton Marshes where they showed much better, after being flushed by a boat.
Female Pintail
Four of the Gadwall on The Borrow Pit
Two of them in better light
Can't believe we are only a week away from October! Except for the
sea, this will truly be an autumn to forget. Dismal numbers of common
migrants, really quite worrying.
Well it looks like the Axe is now an Osprey-free zone! Think this is the third day without any sightings or obvious flushes - it was nice whilst it lasted. Actually its been really quite something, with multiple sightings of multiple Ospreys most days since the end of August, amazing. Am sure many of the other local birds aren't so sad to see the back of them though, all that endless esentially pointless flushing-up for a fish-eating bird of prey!
I've not had much time at all out this last week, but from work it was nice to see this Great White Egret drop in right in front of me on Sheep's Marsh mid-morning yesterday...
Flew off low north soon after, pausing briefly on the Estuary
After work yesterday a look around the marshes revealed two Green Sandpiper (been scarce this autumn) and three Greenshank amongst the usual wader species on Black Hole Marsh, and this lovely Whinchat graced Seaton Marshes...
Never get bored of these, this one was near two Stonechat on the usual favoured fence and hedgeline along the southern boundary of Seaton Marshes
Grounded autumn migrants are still few and far between here (except Chiffchaffs), but overhead lots of Meadow Pipits are passing through now and there's even more hirundines about. There have been many hundreds of mostly House Martins feeding over the valley during the afternoon/evenings over the last few days, with some more sustained easterly overhead passage of House Martins and Swallows during the mornings. It's been good to see such good numbers following dire numbers this spring. Incidentally the Swallow pair at work have just seen their second brood successfully fledge, and by the end of my work week (Thursday) there were no adults or juveniles to be seen in the vicinity. Safe travels all!
The only other bird of note this week for me is one that I don't really want to recall. Whilst relaxing on the beach with Harry on Wednesday evening, I picked up a falcon flying in-off which I first spied at quite a distance. As it came closer it became clear it was a Hobby, but as it passed over the beach to my west and made its way north over town there was just something a bit 'off' with it. I couldn't get any plumage on the bird, but the wing tips were slightly more rounded than a Hobby and flight-style not quite right, slightly more relaxed... I really think I may have let a patch first slip through the net there. Despite early morning checks in nearby suitable habitat the following morning, and Kev also kindly giving some time at lunchtime there was no further sign :(
Yesterday there was still at least one Osprey on the Axe Estuary, but today I haven't seen any. Doesn't necessarily mean they have all gone, but we know for sure the bird with missing primaries on its right wing has beause it is now on the Otter Estuary!
The last few days I haven't been out much, but during my walks to work it's been nice hearing and seeing small groups of Meadow Pipits fly over, a sure sign that autumn is progressing. Same can be said about the multiple calling Chiffchaffs I'm coming across, doubt I'll see many more Willow Warblers now... not that I have seen many this autumn anyway!
There's still at least three Bar-tailed Godwits and the Great Crested Grebe on the Estuary, with a dark-mantled gull present yesterday, which I think can only be a Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull hybrid...
Top left
The short pale yellow legs, weak bill, cute head shape and overall size the main reasons why I think it has Lesser Black-backed Gull genes in it...
Spotting a dark mantle in a gull flock always excites me, so this outcome is very disappointing
Looking forward to getting out a bit more over the next few days... hopefully!
There were still at least two Ospreys on the Axe today, I have seen an unringed bird on two occasions and blue 3E6. The (or one of the) unringed birds did seem to fly out south west over town at 11:10, although knowing how far these birds can roam without actually leaving, I'm just not sure if this means it has gone gone!?
The Great Crested Grebe was still on the lower Estuary this afternoon, as was the flock of four Bar-tailed Godwits...
Such a difference in bill size between male and female (compare 2nd and 4th bird!), think we have two males and two females
The obvious male with the short bill came quiet close...
Such stunning feather patterns on these fresh juvs
Yesterday morning Axe Cliff was dreadfully quiet for both grounded and fly-over migrants, but the cattle on Bridge Marsh did a great job at attracting cattle-loving birds, with two Cattle Egret and a small flock of Yellow Wagtails present. The Cattle Egrets flew off north soon after my arrival, I wonder if these were the same two I watched arrive in-off last week?
It's been so exciting reading about the amazing falls that the east coast have seen over the last few days, I just hope at least some of these birds filter down to us at some point...
It's still Osprey central here, with at least three juveniles remaining today including the blue ringed bird. I had lovely views of one fishing at around midday, but even better this evening watched two circling and interacting with each other (how Buzzards often do) over the Axmouth hills from my conservatory. This went on for about five minutes before they headed off purposely south west, absolutely teriffic to see and they look so much at home here...
Distant but still brilliant to watch!
Thanks to Brian we have heard back about the ringed bird that has been on the Axe since at least 27th August. 3E6 was one of two chicks ringed in a nest just south of Loch Lomand on 10/7/24.
I only spent about an hour out today, late morning/early afternoon, but between the frequent showers it felt really good! Was fully expecting to come across something decent but looks like I just missed out, I came home about an hour before two Black Tern were reported from Colyford Common, later seen passing Budleigh.
Still, three Whinchat with two Stonechat in the field just south of Black Hole Marsh were very much appreciated, with hundreds of (mostly) House Martins feeding overhead for most the day helping to make the day feel very 'birdy'.
There wasn't much to see during two quick looks off the beach except for a few fishing Gannets, but on the Estuary it was good to see my first Wigeon of the autumn...
Often get them in the last few days of August but not this year
Also on the Estuary were several Ringed Plover, Dunlin, the usual Redshank and Blackwits dotted around plus four Bar-tailed Godwits. I first saw three of these drop in on Tuesday whilst I was at work, with a fourth one joining the flock the following day. They're all juveniles and all looking so fresh - almost sparkling! Also on the Estuary today, for its second day on the lower Estuary (saw it from the office yesterday) a young Great Crested Grebe...
Showing well!
Humbug face! Don't get them on the Estuary very often at all.
Another decent bird seen from work this week (ignoring the multiple daily Ospreys!) was a Great White Egret fishing in the narrow channel on the west side of the Estuary on Tuesday, just after 10am. It was seen on Black Hole Marsh about tens minutes later and again the following morning.
Hoping to get out early in the morning, and hoping to see some more passerines as the scarcities seem to be filtering down to the south west now.
Although passerine migrant numbers are still woefully low, there has been plenty to see on the Axe this last few days. I have enjoyed some terrific birding, topped off with an eventful and varied surprise sea watch this morning! I have so much to tell you about, but will start with the big and obvious, and the reason why the bird hides are currently crammed full of photographers... Ospreys!
The Axe is well known and loved for its lingering autumn Ospreys as they often show well, but this has to go down as one of the best autumns we have had for them. Over the last week we have had at least three birds on site, often at the same time too! I have only seen juveniles (including a blue colour-ringed bird we are waiting for details on) but there has been reports of an adult too.
Juvenile Osprey in hover
Aside from the frequent fishing trips they are making on the Estuary, which is always brilliant to see (they are getting so much better at fishing now compared to when they first turned up!), it's not unusual to see one or more perched out on dead trees/fence posts/stumps in the river valley, or in larger trees up above Axmouth.
They are flying all over the place too! Birders last week watched two fly west over Beer Head, but they both reappeared on the Estuary about twenty minutes later. Yesterday I had one fly in from west that seemed to completely ignore the Estuary and kept flying east over the hill behind Axmouth, but ten minutes later one fishing at the lower end of the Estuary was presumably the very same bird!
Osprey eating a fish with Axmouth Church behind
This morning, shortly after watching one catch a fish then fly to a large dead tree on the Axmouth slopes to devour it, whilst at Seaton Marshes another Osprey flew in from the west. Due to some feather damage on its right wing I thought it was going to be an adult, but no it was another juvenile.
This one looked like it was going to fish on Borrow Pit but was chased off by Crows and flew a little further north, it then did hover over what can only be described as a small ditch, then weirdly perched on a telegraph wire! I have seen many Ospreys on telegraph poles, but never wires! The Magpies weren't happy...
Such an odd sight!
I got a little video of it too, showing the gap in the primaries on the right wing...
I think that is enough about Ospreys (for now!), but I may as well mention the other raptors I have seen on patch lately. A cream-crowned juv Marsh Harrier showed briefly over Colyford Marsh on 29th, I had an amazing view of a Hobby low over the A3052 on the same day and saw (and heard!) a Peregrine take out a flying Great Spotted Woodpecker right above my head earlier in the week. I have also enjoyed two sightings of Goshawks recently, a pair and a lone adult (probably one of the pair) which afforded great flight views.
I'll mention Barn Owls in this section of my post, with a local pair fledging three young which can often be seen hunting in the valley at dusk. I also had amazing views of one hunting at Axe Cliff the other morning which made the early start worthwhile...
On the deck views were nice but gave some super close fly pasts too
I stumbled across a nice day roosting Tawny Owl the other day too, which is always a treat. This was at Lower Bruckland Ponds...
I can see you!
I am probably not even half way through this blog post I am afraid, although it is a delight to see so many birds that warrants a post this long.
Now to waders...
It has been a really poor autumn here for wading birds, with low low and next to no variety. For several weeks Black Hole Marsh water levels haven't been ideal, however the week before last the plug was pulled and since then has been getting better by the day. Variety was still not improving though, well until yesterday. The dropping water levels, increasing wader numbers and easterly winds finally did the trick with single juvenile Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper among the mass of waders from the Island Hide yesterday...
There must have been about twenty each of Dunlin and Ringed Plover, with Snipe and two Greenshank with the big flock of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Lapwing and gulls. A couple of Water Rails were showing on the edge of the marsh, raising hopes of a Spotted Crake (or rarer!) but nothing yet.
Another area of autumn that has been poor is passerine migration. Most years by now I've seen flocks of Yellow Wagtails in three figures, but apart from the odd fly over, and a flock of ten with the Bridge Marsh cattle this morning, they have been few and far between.
It's not just wagtail numbers that are low, I haven't seen Whinchat, Redstart or any numbers of warblers or Wheatears yet. I tried my first Vis Mig session of the autumn at Axe Cliff last Thursday, hoping for a big session, but came away with just 4 Grey Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail and the highlight, my first Golden Plover of the autumn. Grounded migrants were restricted to singles of Wheatear and Reed Bunting.
Wheatear trying to blend in on Axe Cliff Golf Course
I never did capture the Golden Plover visually on video or camera, but if you want to listen to its call turn the volume up and play the YouTube video below. There is something that I really love about Golden Plover calls, they make me feel proper 'autumny'...
And I am still not finished! Almost there...
This morning I really didn't know where to go, it was overcast and there was a chilly north east wind blowing. I still couldn't make my mind up after leaving the house so found myself on the beach and was absolutely shocked by the amount of birds passing offshore! Although tradtionally southerlies or south westerlies are our best sea watching winds on the south coast, I have noticed before that anything with east in, even north east, can encourage some really good passage. I guess it's because birds are flying into the wind so it brings them right up into Seaton Bay, which is of course at the very top of Lyme Bay.
It really was a thoroughly enjoyable and surprising hour, the sea was flat and light excellent although at times the horizon was a a bit murky. 07:25 - 08:25 from Spot On Kiosk on Seaton Beach produced (east unless stated):
1 Common Scoter, 200+ Gannet, 3 Fulmar (1 east, 2 west), 1 Great Northern Diver (west), 15 Balearic Shearwater (3 east, 12 west incuding a very close flock of six), 10 shearwater sp. (v distant west in two flocks, either Manx or Balearic), 2 Cattle Egret (in/off at 08:20, first picked them up miles out!), 65+ Med Gull (at first all flying east at, then for last twenty minutes loads flying west so think they were just lingering and following the food, mostly first-winters), 2 commic Tern, 3 Whimbrel, 9 Ringed Plover (6 in/off, 3 along beach), 1 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling (in/off with the 6 Ringed Plover), 18 small wader sp. (one flock) and 1 Common Sandpiper (right along beach).
Might not seem like much for birders who watch migration hot-spots, or where the sea is always good, but I could not have had more fun! Masses of birds and surprises throughout the watch.
