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...