Juvenile Caspian Gull

With an Atlantic storm finally making landfall, it's been frustrating not being able to look at the sea today.  However several checks of the Estuary gulls finally came up trumps late this afternoon...

It looked like a second-winter Common Gull was going to be my gull of the day, despite three visits to an ever increasing gull flock opposite Coronation Corner.  However a scan through a distant smaller gull flock from the gateway just north of Axmouth revealed the presence of what looked like a juvenile Caspian Gull...

Just left of the right hand Great Black-backed Gull. 

  

I zoomed around to Tower Hide, and am pleased to say it was still there. A juvenile Caspian Gull looking absolutely superb...

What a beauty!  Such a long and narrow bill, sloped long head, long pink legs, and those lovely plain grey scaps coming through

 

A closer view of those lovely soft grey 1w scaps.  Can see a glimpse of the nice white and black tail

Seemed to have a bit of a limp, often holding its left leg up.  Overall it was a large bird, bigger than all Herrings

After about 15 minutes it took off and flew south.  I just about got an underwing pic, but it was quite a way away when I managed this...

Not much good really! 

 

A stonking bird, and it's always good to see one of those 'classic' large, long and lumpy Casps. Only my third juvenile Caspian Gull on the Axe.  

Potentially there's a really nice additonal twist to this bird too.  Two days ago I was walking around Portland with Jess (a nice nine miler on a rare child and work-free day together), and as I was passing the gull flock near the Obs a quick scan revealed a surprise juv Caspian Gull sat in the middle of them!  After alerting the Obs we had to keep walking, but looking at my photos of this bird now makes me wonder whether this was the very same bird that was on the Axe today.  Here's my best photo of the Portland bird...

Head and bill shape, greater covert patterning and moult all look similar to me!

 

So maybe I have found the same Caspian Gull twice, in two different counties!?

Also on the Estuary/marshes today, several Ringed Plover and Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Green Sandpiper on Black Hole Marsh. 

I have got some more bird news to update you all with, mostly passerines, but this will have to wait for another day now.  Check back soon!

 

The Big One

Although I am still adding the odd species most nights I trap, the contents of my moth trap have become a bit predictable over the last few weeks.  There have been migrants trickling in though which is why I have kept going (with the Striped Hawkmoth last week proof it was worth the repeated attempts!). 

Looking at the forecast, I wasn't going to miss Monday night of this week.  A warm front moving in quite fast from the south west, with a bit of rain pre-dawn, so real potential to deliver some more migrants - and I was right!  I had the best sight ever when I opened the trap up...

An epic and absolutely pristine Convolvulus Hawkmoth

The markings are stunning, this is the freshest one I have ever seen

Although it's wings were going at 100bpm a nice shot showing its pink bits!

I have only ever caught one Convolvulus previously, which took ten years of trapping at Mum and Dad's and it was a very worn individual (trapped 15th Sept 2021 - see HERE).  Absolutely thrilled to get one at my new place within the first year!

Otherwise in the trap, the only other migrants were micros but there was a decent haul of these (yes I am starting to take more notice of the litter critters!), including: 8 Rusty-dot Pearl, 5 Olive-tree Pearl, 4 European Corn-borer, 1 Rush Veneer and best of all a bit of a rarity (and new one for me) with an Old World Webworm, a really smart little moth...

Only about twenty Devon records from what I can see - and none in 2024

 

Back to the macros and a highlight within the trap that wasn't a migrant was this lovely Wood Carpet.  Have only ever caught two before, years ago, so was really pleased to recognise it as soon as I turned the egg box over...

A lovely example

 

As I write this the rain is falling heavy outside.  The weather has finally broken!  Hopefully with it will be an arrival of birds, we shall see...

Marsh Sandpiper

What an exhilarating day!  

Black Hole Marsh has been building up nicely for a mega of some sort over the last week.  So I think it is fair to say us Axe patchers were extremely disappointed on Wednesday evening to hear a Marsh Sandpiper had dropped in with a manky flock of Redshank in the less than ideal habitat of the mudlats of the south end of the Exe Estuary.  See Dawlish Warren blog post HERE.

We all knew it had gone to the wrong place - a foolish mistake by a clearly inexperienced youngster! However having missed us first time around, we hoped it would realise its error and reorientate, and it did just that - although took a day longer than I expected!  

What an absolutely beautiful and graceful wader, literally a mini-Greenshank.  And I bloody love a Greenshank as it is!  A brilliant find by Phil at 06:15 this morning...

A pristine juvenile Marsh Sandpiper

 

Reminded me of a stilt at times with those long thin legs

A little further away but in different light

In the same frame as a sleeping Greenshank - double the size!

It remained in view all day encouraging a steady stream of visitors throughout.  This is our first 'patch first' of the year, in fact it's the first one since Great Shearwater in August 2023.  Marsh Sandpiper is the 271st species on my Axe patch list.  

I am absolutely delighted for Phil, who has been checking Black Hole every morning for probably the whole month!  A great effort - and good proof that methodical and repeated effort will always deliver in the end.  

The Marsh Sand was sharing the reserve with good numbers and an excellent selection of wading birds.  All the waders from my last post (except the Bar-tailed Godwit) were still present, and had been joined the previous night by two Little Stint, of which one showed ok for me this morning...

Both were gorgeous fresh juvs

 

I was at Black Hole early yesterday (ironically looking for the Marsh Sand!) and although there was nothing new, the light offered some really nice photo opportunities and I couldn't resist this Greenshank...

A juv Greenshank just starting to moult into first-winter plumage

 

Or this Black-tailed Godwit

 

Or this duo... not what any small fish wants to be around!

Nothing beats a proper rare on the patch! Thanks again Phil.

 

 

The Arrival of Easterlies and a Big Stripy Moth

Last week I could see this current easterly airflow in the forecast, and fancied it to deliver at least some variety and/or increase in bird numbers.  At this time of the year any change in weather usually does something, and easterlies are one of the most exciting wind directions for the UK birder.   I was right to be optimistic...

Yesterday evening saw my third 'Birdwatching Tram Special' of the autumn, the two previous ones coming up with nothing unexpected (a far cry from Garganey, Wood Sand, Wryneck, Caspian Gull found in previous years!).  

The sky was buzzing with feeding House Martins and Swallows, and two Yellow Wags came through presumably on their way to roost somewhere.  On the Estuary, twenty Ringed Plover were new arrivals and by far the largest count of the year so far, but the biggest surprise was a first-winter Common Tern that dropped in half-way up the Estuary...

We left it where it was but I couldn't see it during the return journey south

Now to today, and I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in the moth trap this morning... 

Striped Hawkmoth - what a cracker! My third one in Seaton, having trapped two at Mum and Dad's in June 2015 - on consecutive nights! 

What a head and eye!  

Followed by the gardens first Yellow Wagtail over west, and then shortly after an Osprey which flew in from the west heading right for the Estuary - yet another new garden bird.  The Osprey has been seen fishing on the Estuary a couple of times since.

Then news came in from Phil of a Spotted Redshank on Black Hole Marsh which saw me head down there before work.  The lovely (and very vocal!) juvenile Spotted Redshank as showing well, along with a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit (first seen last night by Tim C), the two lingering juvenile Ruff and masses of the usual wading birds and gulls.  Water levels have dropped on the marsh rapidly, probably not planned, however it is proving the perfect conditions for a feeding frenzy!  And coinciding nicely with these easterly winds.

Gorgeous Spotted Redshank

 

Best looking plumage of this species I think - stunning

 

Couldn't get enough of it! 

 

The Bar-tailed Godwit was another cracking fresh juv - love looking at waders at this time of year!

 

The Ruff sticking together - again both juveniles

 

On my way to work, a quick look around Seaton Marshes gave me my first (overdue) Whinchat of the autumn, tagging along with a couple of Stonechat in the fields north of Seaton Marshes.

Something I was a bit gutted to miss out on was our first, and currently only juvenile Yellow-legged Gull of the autumn, papped by Gav from Tower Hide on Saturday afternoon.  A screenshot of his Bluesky message here...

A corker too as am sure you will all agree! :-)

More of the above would be great!  Looks like the weather is going to be a bit changeable this week so my expectations are high...

 

Beer Head Mid-Month

With the skies clearing again, and a northerly/north easterly wind gently blowing, I spent the mornings of 15th and 16th up Beer Head.  

I didn't have much time on 16th, but the previous day I was able to give it 2.5 hours, which I was pleased about as this proved the busiest of the two mornings.  And although we are only a few weeks on from my first visit there on the 1st of this month, the mix of species is already beginning to change as we move deeper into the autumn.  I will start with Friday 15th...

 

Both mornings and evenings there's been a haze - showing the sun off lovely

 

I got to site just after 6am, and although my immediate feeling was the bushes seemed quiet within a few minutes I had my first Yellow Wag of the autumn fly over, along with a Tree Pipit - promise!  

Over the next couple of hours I found some migrants in the bushes, although they were mainly limited to the Underhooken and the Sheepwalk, but on the fences and in the fields it was great to see there had been a decent fall of Wheatears, 32 in all. Most of these in two big groups, one west of the lookout and one in the barn field (The Dell).  Amazed not to have seen a Whinchat though, I was always expecting one to pop up...

 

A lovely autumn scene

 

One enjoying the fact it has come across a field that isn't just dead grass

I was already pleased with my first Yellow Wagtail of the autumn early in the visit, but as I was leaving I could hear a few calling amongst the cows west of the main track and was delighted when 16 dropped in on nearby fence line.  A regular autumn species at Beer head, but these were the first of autumn 2025 and great to see them so well...

Five of the Yellow Wags

Closer shot of two of them

As I said, the bushes were patchy but in the end I had recorded a few Willow Warblers, a single Spot Fly (which posed for about four seconds before launching itself into the sky and away) and best of all my second and Beer Head's third Pied Fly of the autumn, although this one remained frustratingly elusive and refused to pose for a pic.  

My totals for this visit were: 1 Ringed Plover (heard-only over), 32 Wheatear, 16 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit (all singles over west) 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 8 Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, 15 Willow Warbler and 3 Chiffchaff.

And now to yesterday (16th), the wind had turned more distinctly to the east of north, which possibly accounted for the quieter bushes than Friday.  Still it was a lovely morning to be out...

 

A gorgeous morning view

 

Only a few warblers noted in the bushes, although the best bird I missed as Clive found our first Redstart of the autumn shortly after I left.  I counted 20 Wheatear during my wander, although how many of these were new birds or lingerers from yesterday I am not sure. All I would say is a group of 14 near the end of the head appeared to me to be new arrivals as I had only seen three in that spot the previous day.

 

Another Wheatear shot, this one looking so autumnal I can almost taste it!

 

Most action was overhead, with the more distinct wind presumably encouraging some visible migration.  Yellow Wagtails weren't lingering this morning but I had three small flocks fly quickly through heading south west.  House Martins and Swallows were on the move too, although there were even more flocking together on telegraph wires near where I had parked.

 

House Martins gathering

Love the action in this shot

Although on closer inspection all three of the UK hirundine species were present - can you spot them all here?

My full totals for this visit were: 80+ Gannet (offshore) 5 Canada Geese (west), 1 Dunlin (heard-only over), 160 Swallows, 380 House Martin, 2 Sand Martin (all hirundines a mix of moving and lingering birds), 20 Wheatear, 14 Yellow Wag (over in flocks of 7, 5 and 2), 7 Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, 7 Willow Warbler and 2 Chiffchaff.

 

The only other thing I have to mention since my last post is the four Crossbill that flew low east over my front garden a few mornings ago, whilst I was emptying my moth trap.

Hope everyone reading this in enjoying the nice weather, even though it isn't helping with the variety of birds dropping in on the Axe at the moment.  Oh what I would give for a nice storm and a decent downpour! 

Autumn Firsts

Although it's not been all that busy for autumn arrivals over the last few days, I have still seen a few bits worth blogging about.  I'll start with today...

A clear dawn saw me up Beer Head for 7am today.  Am glad I only had an hour as the bushes were quiet, just a few Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats.  The open ground wasn't any busier, with just a single Wheatear in the baron-looking fields.   Overhead was where most the action was at with Swallows and House Martins trickling over west, as well as my first Tree Pipit of the autumn - bang on cue date-wise.

After this, a look at Black Hole Marsh showed it was teaming with waders again.  Good numbers of the usual (including my first juvenile Black-tailed Godwits of the year), three Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers and a juvenile Ruff which was present for its second day...

Distant and dreadful light but still looking mighty fine

A couple of checks of the Estuary today showed some ok gull numbers, but other than my first Common Gull for a while (an adult) I found nothing of interest - still no juvenile Yellow-legged Gull for me.

An autumn first I managed to miss today was a Cattle Egret, seen by a couple of people mid morning from Seaton Marshes and on the Estuary.   

Rewind a few days and Thursday last week gave the Axe patch a real 2025 rarity - southerly wind!  It wasn't that strong, and although accompanied by cloud did not come with any rain, so I didn't have high hopes for the sea but still gave it a look.

Further down the coast seawatchers at Berry Head were busy notching up a record UK day-count of Balearic Shearwaters, whether the three I had come by here just before 7am made it to Berry Head to be included in this count I will never know, however I was more than happy with them.  They all came through as singles, but in very quick succession at a similar distance to one-another.  

In the half an hour I watched I also recorded: 135 Gannet, 7 Kittiwake, 6 Common Scoter, 3 Med Gulls (juvs), 1 Sandwich Tern and 1 Whimbrel. A nice bit of variety really considering this has been such a shocking year for seawatching, a far cry from what we have been treated to over the last couple of years that's for sure.

13 Dunlin and a single Little Ringed Plover were on Black Hole Marsh also on Thursday morning, but this is where my bird news ends.  Been a lot of work hours for me lately, and that doesn't look likely to change for a while yet...

  

 

Back to Beer Head

Have managed two more visits to Beer Head since my last post, with mixed success...

Sunday 3rd was a very cloud day, which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing when on the hunt for autumn migrants, but the westerly wind was far from ideal.  No north it in at all and strong enough to be seen on the bushes.  

As a result all I saw were: 5 Common Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, a Wheatear and a Golden Plover.  The Golden Plover had been present for two days previous, and represents not just an early record for the autumn but also an oddly settled one!  

A fresh juvenile. It looked much more golden in real life that it does in my awful photo

 

Today (Tuesday 5th) the skies were clear again, and a WNW wind was just strong enough to be felt on my face as I walked over the most open parts of the headland... and there were birds!  Very different to the last good day on 1st when most birds were in just a couple of busy areas, today they were spread around all over the site.  

I feel like if I had kept looking I would have found more, but the two hours I spent on Beer Head revealed: 28 Willow Warbler, 10 Chiffchaff, 8 Blackcap, 8 Common Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler and 1 Wheatear.  

My first Garden Warbler of the autumn - sometimes I only see one all sutumn so let's see if there are any more to come...

 

A very autumnal scene with two Common Whitethroats working a fence line.  Nice to see a good number of these amongst a clear increase in Sylvia warbler numbers

One of the above two birds showing a bit better

 

A Willow Warbler showing off

 

Now I appreciate Willow Warblers are the commonest autumn migrant at this time of year, and most patches of scrub along the coast will contain one of more of these. But it doesn't make them any less awesome.  They are such a gorgeous lemom-yellow colour and look absolutely pristine at this time of year.  They are far too good to be called the 'fillers' of early autumn migration, but they do provide the quantity at this time of year.  Their presence and numbers will give you a good idea of just how busy a place is when on the hunt for autumn migrants, and I find they really help motivate me to keep plugging away.  

I really do love watching them flit and filter through the bushes, which is why I photographed a few this morning in the hope of capturing not just the bird, but a flavour of the way they behave and habitat they thrive in...

Not always easy to get a clear view of

  

...but when you do be sure to be prepared with the right exposure settings on the camera - unlike me!

 

Can often be found up-high in the canopy 

If one poses like this snap it quick as this means it is about to fly off!  

Looking forward to the next post, whatever its content might be. Depends what I see in the next few days I suppose...

 

Beer Head Beckons and Delivers

Well today I felt like autumn went from 8mph to 80mph in the space of a few minutes!

As all local birders will know I have spent the last many years favouring Axe Cliff when it comes to spring and autumn birding.  And yes, when this autumn moves on I will probably do the same, however last week I decided I will be spending any spare mornings I had during August up Beer Head like the old days.  As today was 1st August and I had a spare couple of hours, that is exactly where I went...

Beer Head looking west - a view I will never get bored of

 

The weather was really promising, with some cloud and a noticeable north westerly breeze - prime conditions for Beer Head in spring or autumn.  However, as before today I had only seen a handful of Willow Warblers so far this autumn, I really wasn't expecting the start that I had...

I had barely walked ten paces from the cattle grid next to where we park when a Pied Flycatcher flew almost underneath me, coming from behind me and fanning its tail as it then landed on a nearby hedgerow.  A scarce bird here in spring and autumn.  As I was watching it, Willow Warblers were flitting through and zipping past me, and then a Sedge Warbler flew up and showed briefly before diving into a thick hedge.  A really exciting few minutes, and brilliant to feel that rush that a load of migrants gives me without fail.  Absolutely fantastic.

About five minutes and several more Willow Warblers later, a soft tac deep in the bushes of The Dell revealed the presence of a Lesser Whitethroat, which soon showed itself after a quick phish.   The rest of the west side of Beer Head wasn't as busy as this first part, but there were still a few more Willow Warblers, two Whitethroats, and at the very head my first Wheatear of the autumn.  Then on my return to the car, right where the Pied Fly was earlier, my first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn - an early one - showed really well.   

The star bird - but not the best picture, messed up the exposure.  Pied Flycatcher

Flycatcher number two showed much better! Spotted Flycatcher

Lesser Whitethroats always look amazing, but autumn juvs look so pristine

A ground-feeding Common Whitethroat

One of the many Willow Warblers

The full totals for the 1.5 hours I spent up there were:  1 Wheatear, 1 Pied Fly, 1 Spotted Fly, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, 22+ Willow Warbler and 4 Chiffchaff.

I suspect the actual number of Willow Warblers through Beer Head this morning was 50+, but I can only count what I saw.  More Wheatears arrived later in the morning (per Clive) and this afternoon a Golden Plover (Mike B).  Pleasingly a few other local birders managed to see the Pied Fly before it apparently appeared to head off north.

What a brilliant morning. Thank you Beer Head, I will be back...

A distinctive shape on the hill - my first Wheatear of autumn 2025