Axe Cliff

A clear and still morning yesterday encouraged me to head to Axe Cliff for the first time this spring.  I wasn't expecting a large fall as the conditions were far too nice, but at this time of year somewhere like here is always worth a look...

 

It was a gorgeous sunrise

I was right, no fall.  But there were some migrants, with the highlight being a somewhat surprising tristis Siberian Chiffchaff. 

It remained stubbornly silent, but it couldn't have been drabber, with the only green on it being its Bonelli's Warbler-like green edging to its primaries. It was amazing to watch it behaving just like any migrant Phyllosc, feeding low along the edge of a hedge line, gradually moving inland with a colybitta Chiffchaff...

Quite a highly cropped photo, but shows colour and tone well

 

Nice dark legs and bill too.  A striking bird that stopped me in my tracks.

 

Unfortunately I managed to completely fluff what could have been an excellent photo.  I hadn't seen it for a minute or so when I suddenly noticed it low down just a few meters in front of me.  By the time I lined my camera up, and took one photo which the auto-focus failed me with, it hopped off...

At least it shows colour and bareparts well... just a bit fuzzy!

  

Something else I have read about spring tristis, I think on Portland Bird Obs blog, is that they are tatty looking things in spring. Quite different from all the other fresh-looking warblers passing through.  This bird certainly had that tardy appearance, as can be seen in the above photos. 

More expected warblers present during my wander were three singing Willow Warblers and my first Whitethroat of the year, which looked to be one of the local breeders as opposed to a passing migrant...

It was singing well in one of the usual spots for this species here

 

Singles of Swallow and Wheatear complete my list of migrants for my 90 minute wander here...

This migrant looked at home on the recently spread muck!

 

More of this please. Although it looks like the temperatures will be dropping off again sadly, which is ashame as I really want to find a Hoopoe!

   

Little Ringed Plover

Well the day after my post in which I ask 'where are all our Little Ringed Plovers?' of course I see a Little Ringed Plover!

Yesterday (Monday) was a really good migrant day. I think the south easterly wind and clearer/sunnier conditions encouraged everything to get moving, with many south coast sites reported a bit more variety amongst a fairly good arrival of migrant birds.

I was in work all day sadly, but a rapid look around during the evening showed the aforementioned Little Ringed Plover, a male distantly on the scrape at Bridge Marsh.

One of the best sites for this species on patch during the spring

I also saw three Wheatear, two Willow Warbler and for the first time this year a three-figure count of Sand Martins (only been 20-30 before).  So, not loads for me, but still a welcome uptick in variety and numbers.

Migrants trickle in and Turnstone

Thought I better get myself up to date here before it kicks off properly... hopefully!  

It has felt really slow going recently, and although I have now seen a few spring migrants, they have only been dribbling through and I have not had any decent arrivals yet really, except for the Wheatear arrival as mentioned in my last post.

I'll go back to 27th March first, when a quick look in the valley on a damp and dreary morning gave me my first two Swallows and single House Martin of the year, with about ten Sand Martins over Bridge Marsh.  A pretty usual first date for Swallows, but a slightly earlier than average House Martin by about a week.  On the same day, a quick look out to sea revealed my first Sandwich Tern of the year. 

On 30th, I missed our first Osprey of the year.  Everything went up on the Estuary (and had been jumpy over the previous half an hour) however I wasn't in a position to look.  Then five minutes later, Kev had an Osprey west over Beer.  I suspect it had roosted in the valley overnight.

On 1st April, nothing better than double-figures of Cattle Egret with the cattle near the Tower Garage in Seaton. They were here a lot at the start of winter 25/26, but have not been up here for a few months now.

On 2nd, I didn't miss the second Osprey.  Tim W had it fishing on the Estuary, and a few minutes later I watched it flying north from Colyford with a fish, heading for Musbury.  

Yesterday (4th) I started the morning sea watching.  Although Storm Dave wasn't due to hit until the afternoon, there was enough of a breeze to encourage me down there.  And there were a few bits moving out there, but the highlight was a lump on the pebbles...

Ringed Plover is usually my first spring wader on the beach, but it was a Turnstone!

Just starting to look a bit bronze on its back

 

This was our first Turnstone of 2026, and one of the my first signs of spring wader passage - which is exciting!  It's actually quite an early spring date for a Turnstone here, if we get them they are usually in late April/May.

Bits over the sea (west unless stated) included: 2 Great Northern Diver, 11 Red-throated Diver (4 east), 2 Manx Shearwater, 12+ auk sp. and 22 Kittiwake.  

Away from the beach, a singing Willow Warbler on Black Hole Marsh was my first of the year (about five days to a week late for me), but I was expecting more in the overcast conditions.

Today has been a work day, although it was interrupted at 13:50 by an Osprey which flew in from the south east and spent a short time fishing on the upper Estuary.   Didn't see which way it left sadly, but no further sign of it by 17:30.

Something no one has seen on the Axe patch yet this year is Little Ringed Plover - which is really unusual as these can often be the first summer migrant we see!  We did have several days of valley fog in mid March which probably didn't help, but I am surprised we've not had one or more since.  

Wheatears but not much else!

March has been extremely disappointing so far I have to say.  Since my last post it's been really hard graft with very little going on out there from what I've seen.  That's except for a drastic (but expected) drop off in wintering bird numbers.

Spring migrant wise I have now seen Wheatears, which is good news.  We missed out on any early birds this year, however over the 20th and 21st there's been a widespread arrival on the south coast which included birds through the Axe patch.  I only managed to see two on Seaton Marshes on 20th, but was happy enough with these - although they could have been a bit closer...

The other bird spent most its time amongst the juncus behind this post

 

I have seen a few more Sand Martins since my first (and early) birds on 6th, but other than a Golden Plover over Seaton on 9th March there really hasn't been anything new to inform you of.    

I last saw both Siberian Lesser Whitethroat in Seaton on 10th, but there's still one present near the Bowling Green - I had excellent views of it this evening.  Whilst on the subject of warblers, it's been lovely hearing so many Blackcaps in full voice over the last couple of weeks.  I cannot remember a year like this, when the wintering birds have sung so strongly before departing.

Hopefully my next post has a bit more excitement within it!  

First Proper Spring Migrants

My first ten Sand Martins of the year flew north over the A3052 at Colyford yesterday morning, following the River Axe, at about 9am. Three days earlier than my previous earliest on patch (9th March 2024) but not really a surprise as there's been a fairly widespread earlier than usual arrival into the UK this year.

I thought they zipped straight through, however about an hour and a half later there were nine in a similar area feeding, so presumably they mostly came back.

If it wasn't for the Sand Martins I would have had to officially rename this blog as 'Gulls of the Axe' as yesterdays start bird would have been another gull!

Yellow-legged Gulls are a bit odd in that between July and October almost all Axe records of this species relate to first-calendar year birds.  But from October through to the following July, young birds make up the smallest percentage of Yellow-legged Gull records! Explain that?

So I was really pleased to clap eyes on a striking first-winter Yellow-legged Gull with the gulls north of Coronation Corner mid morning yesterday...

Fairly dark looking wings thanks to black tertials and dark greater coverts, long winged too, nice bright pink legs, pale head with a striking eye mask

 But if in doubt, wait til it flaps...

Restricted pale on inner primaries - super! Nice black greater covert bar too, similar to a Casp

Later in the day, I saw what I presumed was the lingering 'dodgy looking' third-winter Yellow-legged Gull also north of Coronation Corner.  And I read on WhatsApp that Gav had a second-winter even later in the afternoon, making it a hat-trick!  

Small gull numbers have dropped right off now, of all three of the usual species (Black-headed, Common and Med). Although there's still just enough Common Gulls to give me something to sift through ever hoping for a Ring-billed!

Thanks for reading.

 

A Little Stunner

I'm afraid it's yet another post with a gull as the main feature! Well, what else can I do if nice gulls keep flaunting themselves in front of me!?  

At least it's a completely different gull though, a much much smaller one...

Phwoar!  

 

Late Sunday afternoon a glance out my office window revealed a surprise first-winter Little Gull almost dancing in the wind with a small number of Herring and Black-headed Gulls.  I fired off some quick shots, but am pleased to say it remained until I finished work so managed some much better photos.  What an absolute corker.

Spot the little stripey one!

This was basically my first view of it - enough to immediately rule out Ross's sadly!

Such a tiny gull

Was great watching it feed almost like a Wilson's Storm Petrel at times!

What a wing pattern

It took a rest on dry land for a bit, but the rising tide soon covered its feet in water

My final pic, taken when it was at its closest to me

 

This has proved such a good Little Gull winter for us, as it has for many sites on the south coast.  The best for well over a decade for sure.  And as I missed all the younger birds Tim C had in Seaton Hole earlier in the year, was delighted to get such amazing views of this one following equally impressive views of the Seaton Bay adult.

Managed to add a nice house tick last night too.  I stepped out of my car on the driveway and could hear an unfamiliar, yet familiar call overhead, then the penny dropped - Avocet!  Not sure how many were up there but interestingly the Axe wintering birds were still present today (per Tim C) so it/they must have been passing migrants.  A welcome nocmig garden record...

 

Hopefully my next post will include some proper summer migrants, as the Axe seems to be lagging behind many other sites that have already recorded some early migrants.  I tried to find some tonight but no luck yet.

Thanks for reading!

 

Caspian Gull Yellow P:OSR

In yesterday's post I published photos of the colour-ringed Caspian Gull that I found on the Axe Estuary earlier that day, it was bearing a yellow ring with P:OSR inscribed...

As this photo suggests, a pleasantly easy read on the ring

 

As if often the case these days, I have had the history back on this bird in super quick time, thanks to an email from The Polish Bird Ringing Centre earlier today.

P:OSR was ringed as a chick on 30th May 2025 in the province of Zachodniopomorskie in north west Poland, in the province's capital which is called Szczecin.  And this particular gull was ringed on the roof of a large building at the ship yard here, where I presume it was one of many.  

Red X marks the spot!

 

So apparently I saw it 272 days after it was ringed, and 1238km from where it was ringed.  But I wasn't the first person who has seen it since ringing as it has been seen once before - also in the UK.

There's an entry on P:OSR's data sheet for Sheffield on 1st September 2025, where it was recorded just for one day. A great little piece of information on its own, but I was even happier to receive a Twitter message from Andy Deighton with this absolutely delightful photo attached...

It's a baby P:OSR! (c) Andy Deighton

  

I cannot thank David enough for sending this on to me. Really interesting to see exactly what it looked like it its younger months - a fine example of a juvenile Caspian Gull.  Incidentally David is well known in the gulling world as he found the Sheffield Audouin's Gull back in July 2018 - the most urban Audouin's recorded in the UK to date!

And for one final point of interest to complete this post, there's actually a BB paper on the rapid increase of roof nesting Caspian Gulls in Poland. Well worth a read HERE.

Hope you've found this as interesting to read as I have to write, and thanks again the bird ringers of Poland and to David!