Skuas!

Absolutely thrilled to cash in on a real rarity on the Axe patch in recent years, some skua passage!

This spring was a complete non-starter for any sort of sea watching, and recent years haven't produced the goods either. Just the odd skua here and there for me.

We've had plenty of windy and some very wet weather over the last week or so, often from the south, and each time I have looked the sea has been quiet.  Friday evening (15th) was the best it got for me, with 48 Manx Shearwater, 22 Gannet, 12 Med Gull (including my first juvenile of the season) and a Common Scoter west in 90 minutes.  Not exactly thrilling though.

Mobile camera pic of juv Med Gull

However on Saturday evening, and following an increase in wind speed, news came through on the local WhatsApp Group of three skuas past Budleigh and more importantly, two heading towards Seaton from Charmouth!  I was at Seaton beach for 19:10 and over the following 80 minutes was absolutely buzzed to see seven Arctic Skuas* fly west!  

• One pale phased adult south west at 19:10, thanks to Ian Mc for getting me on this one as I was just getting out of the car at the time!
• Dark-phased adult and immature west at 19:15, these came in quite close and chased a Herring Gull for food. These were the two from Charmouth - thanks Richard!
• *A small and slender immature west at 19:22. Looked good for a Long-tailed at first but seemed to show too much white in wing when I zoomed right in. Very hard to be sure at the distance though and would have preferred much better views. Frustrating really but I think probably a small Arctic.  
• A dark-phased adult and unaged bird west at 19:40, landed on sea during a heavy rain shower, then continued west at 20:05.
• A immature distantly west at 20:14.

Other than these skuas, just three Manx Shearwaters, six Med Gulls and 25+ Gannet went by.  I think the skuas were probably some of the birds that had been off Dawlish Warren for the previous week or so, maybe they'd just been blown deeper into Lyme Bay with the strengthening wind. There was no other skua passage noted outside of our corner of Lyme Bay that evening as far as I am aware so it wasn't part of a widespread movement.  

Skua-induced smiles? No, more like big crashing waves and the promise of a late bed-time!

Away from the sea, four Crossbills were vocal on Bovey Down on Sunday morning during a dog walk.  Along with, very sadly, a dead not quite fledged juvenile Nightjar on the main track...  

Sorry it's a bit grim! No neck suggests predation?

Stunning pattern on the flight feathers!

Think there is at the most only two pairs here, so quite a significant loss to the local population sadly. The site is getting more and more grown up so not sure how many more years Nightjars will be there for, though thankfully there are other recently cleared sites locally they could relocate to. 

Yellow-legged Gull, Goosanders and Sand Martins

Am pleased to say the three Avocet chicks are doing well.  The parents are still proving absolute heros and now the chicks are considerably bulkier I'm hoping they've passed their most vunerable phase.  

They have been sharing the marsh with the first few returning waders, including Little Ringed Plovers and Green Sandpipers.  And just around the corner, after 11 years in situ the man-made Sand Martin 'bank' has suddenly proved attractive to a brand new (presumably failed breeders from elsewhere?) colony of Sand Martins...

An amazing sight - it is great to sit there and watch them coming and going

On the Estuary things have been quiet, just a few more Black-tailed Godwits and Curlews appearing, plus the odd Mediterranean Gull and yesterday my first juvenile Yellow-legged Gull of the year...

A beast, and a nice contrasty one too

Portland Bill recorded a record 18+ juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls yesterday so we could be in for a bumper year, which will be nice! 

Also yesterday, thanks to a timely message and regular updates from Tim Clarke, I saw three juvenile Goosander fly north up the valley distantly from my office.  My second sighting of this species on patch this year.

Breeding Avocets on Black Hole Marsh

We have been hiding a little secret!  Well two fairly sizeable black and white ones to be more accurate...

And then there were four!  Hatched yesterday morning and left the nest mid-afternoon...

The first Avocet breeding record for the county I am told!  What a turn up for the books, although have to say it did feel on the cards considering the increase in their UK breeding range and the fact that in recent years late spring Avocet records on Black Hole Marsh, often involving multiple birds, have been getting more frequent.  

Avocet is traditionally a rare winter visitor and scarce passage migrant on the Axe. It is now a rare winter visitor, regular passage migrant and breeder!!!!  I guess we will just have to wait to see if it is a one-off or the start of a new era.  

It is really good to know the habitat here can support a breeding pair though, even if it does turn out to be a one-off. Shout-out to the parent's who have been amazing throughout, sat tight on the eggs at all times and chasing absolutely everything away! They are so vocal, I hear them almost every night from the house (which makes a nice change from the constant cacophony of Oystercatchers!).

Let's hope the young ones make it through to fledging. Good luck Axe-born Avocets! 

NB Breaking news - a third chick has now been spotted!  A day later than the appearance of the first two.

Norfolk Hawker - A Patch First!

Yesterday was forecasted to be the last day of sun, so I was keen to finally get out and do some proper dragonflying!  I can't tell you how good it felt to immerse myself in the world of Odonata for several hours.

With only two ponds left to check at Lower Bruckland Ponds, despite seeing plenty I hadn't come across anything unusual.  But I was then stopped in my tracks by a beautiful copper-coloured Hawker landing on a close reed fringe, it stayed put just long enough for me to get my bins on it... NORFOLK HAWKER!  Those green-eyes offering a striking contrast to the gorgeous copper body colour (far from being brown!).

Unfortunately within seconds of seeing it, it took flight and gained height.  Over the next half an hour I had four more brief flight views of it over the same pond, but no more perched views and no chance of any photographs, the patrolling Scarce and Four-spotted Chasers would soon see it off.  Always a shame not to get a pic of a rarity but such a thrill to find!  

This was its favoured pond, one of the smallest at Lower Brucklands but also the most vegetated around the edges

 

This species, formally restricted to East Anglia, suddenly appeared in Weymouth about four or five years ago with numbers growing here every year since.  In Devon, except for a lone insect on Exminster Marshes for a few days in 2018, they appeared at Slapton last year, with several seen including at least one egg-laying female, so it is no surprise they are again there this year.  Also this year they have been found on The Somerset Levels, with singles also at Abbotsbury and Portland.  Although they are clearly spreading well, and certainly a species on my 'hoped-for' list, I honestly thought we were still a few years off them appearing here, and was convinced Vagrant Emperor and/or Hairy Hawker would fall first!  

Am super pleased to say Tim White saw it again this afternoon and managed some photos too!  Let's hope more follow and they secure a foothold here.

Lower Bruckland was as ever teeming with Odonata, although to me Emperor numbers are way down with far fewer patrolling the banks.  Chasers/Skimmers included 60+ Scarce Chaser, 18 Black-tailed Skimmer and 14 Four-spotted Chaser. 20+ Common Darter were all fresh tenerals and a fine male Golden-ringed Dragonfly was patrolling the corner of one of the top ponds.  Amongst the small beasts 10+ Red-eyed Damselfly, these down in numbers from my last visit here.  Both species of Demoiselle were on show, and are now regular here...

Beautiful Demoiselle

Banded Demoiselle

Lovely male Scarce Chaser with mating scars

Common Darter teneral - Ruddy ruled out by white on legs

I then dropped down to the River Axe, where there were a further 18+ Scarce Chaser and large numbers of White-legged Damselflies...

Must have seen at least 100 of these

A check of a final site, a large pool near the River Coly, added three Broad-bodied Chaser.  

So all in all a bloody enjoyable three hours out in the sunshine! 

June So Far

Bird-wise, June hasn't been as quiet as it often can be.  Three year-ticks in the first half of the sixth month certainly isn't to be sniffed at, these being...

Hobby - excellent views of a pair hunting dragonflies (mostly Scarce Chasers!) on 5th. The cold northerly wind was keeping both the dragonflies and falcons low allowing for really superb views!  

Too quick for my camera despite the great views

Common Tern - saw the back end of a pair fly in off the sea and disappear up river on the morning of 6th, they then spent the remainder of the day on Black Hole Marsh.  Shocking that it has taken until now to see this species on patch this year, but it reflects the sad state of terns locally (probably in part to the national picture too) and also the lack of decent sea watching conditions this spring.

Gadwall - June/July in recent years have proved the time to see this species on the Axe, when moulting birds join the equally tatty Mallards. The three on night of 10th actually stayed separate from the Mallards just north of Tower Hide, with the drake still showing some aspects of its former plumage.

Drake and two females

Other than these year ticks, 16 Sanderling on/past Seaton Beach on 2nd, with another the following day, and a handful of Ringed Plover on the Estuary during the same few days show there has been a bit more wader passage.  It has not been anywhere near the volume I am used to seeing here in late spring which is really disappointing, but I think this reflects more the fine weather we've experienced and less to do with populations/overall numbers.  

Tawny Owls have been good value locally.  Plenty of young calling particularly at dusk, with a showy ball of fluff currently on Seaton Wetlands...

A ball of fluff with a face!

Mum is never far away either...

Sublime!

The sad tales all over social media about dire moth numbers this year have not at all encouraged me to put the moth trap out.  I am a fair-weather moth'er as it is, so I certainly don't want to run an MV if all it does is depress me about the state of our environment.  However the calmer and warmer forecast for the night of Friday just gone (9th) was enough to tempt me to get the Robinson out, and am pleased I did as many of my favourite early summer species were waiting for me on Saturday morning...

Eyed, Elephant, Privet and Small Elephant Hawkmoths

One of my favourites - a Mocha

A close up of the Small Elephant Hawk

Green Oak Tortrix - caught nine of these on a night that saw a huge UK influx of this species

Have only really had one proper look locally for Odonata during this fine weather, on 5th, the same time I was watching the Hobbies mentioned above.  To suddenly see good numbers local of Red-eyed Damselflies is quite odd, having not seen one here for so long!  Otherwise plenty of Scarce Chaser as expected, plus my first Common Darter of the year with at least twenty tenerals seen flying up from and perched on the reeds.  Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser, Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Emperor were also on the wing.

Male Scarce Chaser head on

Female Scarce Chaser

Hopefully I will get a bit more time to look at insects before the weather changes. Never know what is around the corner when it comes to UK weather so need to make the most of it whilst it is here!

  

Just Odds and Sods

Well in answer to the title of my previous post... no, not really.

Saying that, late May for me has been really busy at work and both my Wife's and Son's birthday fall here so it's not like I have spent much time in the field lately.  Still, there are some things to report including two Patchwork Challenge ticks!

During my walk to work on Thursday 25th, it was really exciting to watch a Spotted Flycatcher fly low north over the housing estate by my place, pitch up in a garden tree for little more than a few seconds, then continue on northwards.  Portland may have had many hundreds do this during that week but this one was honestly an absolute thrill to see.  Raw migration in action and not where I would necessarily expect to see it.

And today came year tick number two, with a Barnacle Goose leading three Canada Geese in flight over the river valley.  I managed to take this photo with my phone before they flew north over the A3052 and away towards Musbury...

At least it is identifiable!

 

The goose wasn't my bird of the day though, with this lovely Grey Plover feeding on the Estuary about ten minutes later...

Right up there for me when it comes to cracking looking waders

However the Plover wasn't my wildlife sighting of the day!  Have had almost no time for Odonata yet this year (ultra frustrating during a Vagrant Emperor influx!) but half an hour today gave me my first patch Red-eyed Damselfly since about 2008!  Only had my phone for a camera so this is all you are getting...

On The Borrow Pit, Seaton Marshes

Small Red-eyed Damselflies, although not out yet this year, have spread right across the patch.  There were some Red-eyed Damselflies at Lower Bruckland Ponds around the time Small Red-eyed Damselflies were first discovered there, but within a couple of years they died out (whereas Small Red-eyeds exploded in numbers).  

The only other sightings I have to report from the last couple of weeks include a Sanderling on the beach last Thursday evening, and an unseasonal Osprey which I was fortunate to see three days on the trot hunting over the Estuary. It was an excellent fisher too, often catching on its first attempt - quite different from the autumn juvs we see!

May Must Have More?

Following what can only be described as the best March/April on patch for years, certainly the last five but possibly of the last decade, May has been completely pants.  

Black Hole Marsh at dusk earlier this week

 

Some of the common (ish) summer migrants that you would hope to pick up in this month, like Garden Warbler, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Cuckoo, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Hobby, maybe if you're lucky Turtle Dove, are all still gaps on my Patchwork Challenge 2023 year list!  And as for the sea... we had a whiff of southerlies earlier in the month but they didn't do much here - although I did miss a Bonxie one morning which was annoying to say the least!  

And where are the wading birds?

May is by a country mile my favourite month of the year for wader passage, when flocks of Sanderling, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel can be seen on/off the beach or up the Estuary, as well as a good chance of local scarcities such as Knot, Turnstone, Grey Plover, etc..  Often all in fine summer plumage too!  However as yet it just hasn't happened, and I have tried! On the few wet days we have had, my lonesome and dripping wet figure could be seen walking Seaton Beach.   The lack of southerlies am sure is part of the reason, but hopefully they are all still on their wintering grounds or further south at least.  I remember in 2018 when I went to Portugal in early June much to my surprise there were massive numbers of small waders still feeding on the Tagus Estuary..

So since the 4th (which gave Pochard and Wood Sand) I have only had two more year ticks!  Shocking for May, although to be fair both of them were really nice...

On 10th, Mike H and Stuart O had a Short-eared Owl hunting near Black Hole Marsh an hour before dusk.  I nipped down there, couldn't see anything for about half an hour, but then whilst stood halfway up a gate scanning distant fields to the north, I looked around and the Short-eared Owl was hunting literally right infront (well behind!) me!  It saw me then hastily made its way down the hill and out of view.  I just about managed to hold my phone up and get some sort of video but it is so poor I won't even bother posting it on here.

Then today, having just seen a couple of lone Dunlin and Ringed Plover, two Greenshank and a single Bar-tailed Godwit over the last two weeks, finally we had a wader highlight. A visiting birder found an adult breeding plumaged Little Stint on Black Hole Marsh...

What a stunner!

Similar to what I wrote about the Wood Sands earlier this month, Little Stint has appeared to have become much scarcer here over the last few autumns, and spring birds are really really few and far between, so I was dead chuffed to see this!

Looking at the forecast, I haven't much hope for the rest of May.  However as is so often said it only takes one bird...  

Wood Sands and Pochard

Just a quick one to bring everything up to date, and since my last post the only real action I have to report is from last Thursday.

With an apparent influx of Wood Sandpipers across the country mid-last week thanks to rain and easterly winds, I was hopeful we'd get one here at some point.  They are a tricky species to see here in spring though, if we get any they are usually brief, and actually they've not been much easier in autumn in recent years!  So when I heard of four feeding on Black Hole Marsh from late morning Thursday, this sorted my after work plans for that day. All four still present and looking splendid in their breeding plumage at 5:30pm...

Three Wood Sands phone-scoped

The fourth loner

About an hour later Tim messaged with news of two probable Pochard flying around the valley - thankfully exactly the part of the valley I can see over from my bedroom window!  And soon after I started scanning, two grey plain-winged ducks with contrasting breast bands and pale bellies came flying in and dropped out of view.  Over the course of the evening I saw them several more times in flight from the house - two female Pochard.  A dead tidy Patchwork Challenge tick, although they have returned to being annual over the last five years despite their continued decline in the south west.

Scores on the doors for Patchwork Challenge at the end of April for me were 146 species and 194 points.  Really need some good spring sea watching although it is looking less and less likely as we get nearer to mid May. Oh and Common Crane is still omitted... for now...

A Few More Waders

Nice to see a few more wading birds coming through as we head towards May.  

On Friday morning the Estuary showed a Patchwork Challenge year tick in the form of a lone Sanderling, along with four Ringed Plover (which the Sanderling was associating with), six Dunlin and two Common Sandpipers.

Awful photo but Sanderling is quite a rarity for the Estuary, far more often seen on or flying past the beach

Then this morning two Avocet were looking very interested in one of the islands on Black Hole Marsh. This has to be the next breeding species for the Axe Valley, even though we see so few during the winter months.  

There were a few passerine migrants around this morning too, with a couple of Willow Warblers, a Common Whitethroat, a noticeable increase in Reed Warblers and a few more Sedge Warblers.  One of the new Sedge Warblers was singing in this small corner of shrub at the entrance to Seaton Tesco... 

Love seeing out of place migrants!

Have to say, although I am loving the easterly winds, a nice south westerly blow wouldn't go a miss. I have still not seen a skua of any variety yet this year!

Night Heron

Well I've spent far too many hours checking willow trees and ditches for a patch Night Heron over the last three weeks.  

Tonight I went out hoping to find some migrants after a day of mostly rain, and having spent ten minutes checking a large flock of hirundines on Seaton Marshes, I turned around to see this...

North end of the island on the Borrow Pit

Within ten minutes other birders started to arrive, and am pleased to say it began looking a bit more lively. Probably the smartest Night Heron I have ever seen, absolutely immaculate plumage...

Look at the size of that plume!

Massive yellow legs and feet too! And that lovely red eye

I stayed with it until just after 20:30, when after it had clambered its way up to the top of the tree, it took flight and headed off south east towards the sea.  Brilliant to hear it call as it flew, and it was suprisingly loud. There's a video clip in my Twitter-feed which is worth a watch - well a listen!

Only my second Night Heron on patch following an adult also on Seaton Marshes in March 2006.  Have missed one in between, a first-summer which was viewable from Tower Hide at Black Hole Marsh for one day in early May 2015.  I was on honeymoon in Greece at the time!

A Quick Catch up

Just a quick update to bring everything up to date.  Haven't had much time out since my last blog post but have still managed to see a few bits...

On Friday a quick look around mid afternoon revealed my first Whitethroats of the year - one of each-type in fact!  An elusive male Lesser Whitethroat was half-heartedly singing next to the Bridge Marsh gateway, and a male Common Whitethroat looked like a proper migrant feeding in flowering blackthorn alongside the Estuary with a few Willow Warblers.  Great to see a brick red male Bar-tailed Godwit on the Estuary too, finally.

Male Common Whitethroat 

Male Bar-tailed Godwit

 

Later on Friday a lovely evening wander, surrounded by feeding hirundines, was made even better with my third Osprey on the spring.  It completely surprised me flying low south past me, before spending about ten minutes fishing on the Estuary, and then flying back north past me.  It was seen again the following morning. Unusual for a spring bird to linger.

Osprey with a Herring Gull escort

Saturday evening a short seawatch was called for following a light late afternoon skua passage past Portland and Chesil.  No skuas for me, with just five Whimbrel west and 23 Manx Shearwaters.  A quick look at Black Hole Marsh afterwards showed two Bar-tailed Godwits.

Then today, an early morning trip to Black Hole Marsh was worthwhile with two Ruff feeding on the far edge of the reserve.  The light was always poor but could see one was a nice male.  A Lesser Whitethroat was singing away too, and showed really well albeit briefly.

Nothing rough about these Ruff! Well except for the photo of them...

Now on 141 species for the Patchwork Challenge year list, equating to 183 points.

The Magic of Migration

Migration at its BEST today!

Although nowhere I went this morning had big numbers, the cold north wind was pushing migrating birds down low - as a result what I witnessed from Seaton Beach up to 8am this morning was nothing short of mesmerising...

Looking towards Beer Head

I wish I had got to the beach sooner, I'd spent half an hour walking ditches in the valley on my quest for a rare heron, but no rewards there.  My reason for going to the beach was in the hope of cashing in on some of the Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel passage that had been seen throughout the UK the previous day.  I did see four Whimbrel (two in/off and two west) but the constant sight of small passerines flying in/off low over the waves was something that will stay with me forever.

Don't get me wrong, there were never waves of birds coming in, but every minute or so I'd pick up a passerine far out to sea, and watch it almost clip the top of the waves as it made its way north towards shore.  Only two actually landed when they arrived at the coast, most got to where the red cliffs are in the above photo, then gained height and simply continued flying inland. Remarkable.  

Most of the passerines were not identifiable due to distance, but three were Phylloscs, two Pipit sp, eight House Martins, one Wheatear and one - one of the only two that landed - a Redstart!  As this bird flew over the sea I kept thinking I could see red in its tail, and thankfully when it arrived at the beach instead up flying up, it landed on cliff side vegetation and showed itself to be a male Redstart!  It didn't hang about though, no more than twenty seconds later it was off up and over the cliff.  Am also pretty sure I had a Whinchat in/off as one bird looked short tailed and appeared to show show some white in the wing, just too distant to be sure though.  

Just absolutely mind blowing.  This is obviously what usually goes on far above our heads at this time of year, but the wind was keeping them low.  Am pleased to say everything I picked up did make landfall, just imagine spotting a really rare bird flying in-off only to see it drop into the sea!  

Kev, who was birding Beer Head at the time, witnessed similar rapid movement of migrants through, including an brief Hoopoe that had clearly just arrived and very quickly moved on.  Even Jess got in on the action, with a Cuckoo singing in Holyford Woods during her mid-morning walk.

This kept going until early afternoon at least, with Wheatears and Willow Warblers passing through past my work, and I was pleased to see a nailed-on Whinchat during my walk to work on Seaton Marshes.

A stunning male Whinchat - just a dreadful photo of it!

This manic day of migration followed on from another good spring day.  Although Wednesday was a work day I managed an astonishing seven Patchwork Challenge year ticks!  They were, in order of appearance:

Grasshopper Warbler  - reeled twice during my walk to work at Sheep's Marsh but remained hidden.

Common Sandpiper - amazingly my first of the year, this is the first year we haven't had an over-wintering bird on the Axe since I can remember.

Mandarin - the mega of the day - a drake found by Clive on Sheep's Marsh and is still present today, first on patch since three off Seaton Beach on 4th March 2019.

Grey Plover - also found my Clive on Black Hole Marsh (see below photo).

Ringed Plover - one on Black Hole Marsh alongside a Little Ringed Plover.

Reed Warbler - singing away at Black Hole Marsh, a few days later than my first Sedge Warbler.

Common Redstart - a female at Lower Bruckland Ponds at last light.

Grey Plover in front of Grey Heron

The best of the other year ticks in the past week was this Red Kite over school on Tuesday as I was dropping Harry off for his first day back...

The worst photo of all on this blog post - which is some doing when it also includes that dreadful Whinchat!  A phone pic of the Red Kite.

With this flurry of spring excitement my Patchwork Challenge list is now on 137 species and 179 points.  Not that today I really cared, because witnessing migration as I did is literally worth 500 year ticks in my eyes.  Just incredible. 

What a day.

Black-winged Stilt!

I don't think a year has gone by that one of the local birders hasn't predicted the next addition to the patch list to be Black-winged Stilt! A gaping and frankly puzzling omission from the patch list despite our location and seemingly perfect habitat.

But today was finally the day. Am absolutely thrilled to have seen this elegant beauty gracing Black Hole Marsh.  Looked even better than I ever imagined to be honest!

The fun all started when this message appeared on BirdGuides just after 1pm today...

The location wasn't clear but I thought I'd chance the Island Hide at Black Hole Marsh. And this was the view that greeted me...

A very pleasant view indeed!

It spent the next few minutes feeding right by the Island Hide before flying across to the Tower Hide.  Only the fourth time I've seen Black-winged Stilt in the UK, including the infamous Sammy of Titchwell!

No offence to my good friend Chris, but it's nice not to have been trumped by the Otter again. Plus having missed out (so far) on Alpine Swift, Night Heron, Purple Heron and Hoopoe, it feels good to get in on the overshoot action at last!

Black-winged Stilt is the 266th species of bird that I've seen on the Axe patch.  

Red-rumped Swallow now stands alone as the most glaring omission from the patch list. Be nice if that fell this year too...