Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!  

And what a fabulously wintery start to 2026 it's been, with sub zero temperatures, heavy frosts and plenty of ice.  All things we are seeing far less frequently down here these days.  

There's been some cracking sunrises!

High water on a frosty Axe Estuary

 

 

I can't say this weather has produced any serious cold weather movements, but it has certainly shifted some birds about.   

Redwings for example have been around in far better numbers over the last couple of days than they have all winter, although Fieldfare remain oddly scarce (I saw one on 31st Dec - which was shockingly my first here in the second half of 2025 as I saw none in the autumn - and have not seen another one since), Blackcap numbers have also increased locally, and on the Estuary there's more Lapwing, Dunlin, Avocet (now six) and Teal around, and Tim C has seen our first couple of flocks of Golden Plover over Axmouth.  Snipe numbers have also increased, but probably only in their visibility not their actual numbers as we presumably always have several hundred here during the winter months, we just can't usually see them this well.

For me the sea has been the biggest disappointment as I have given it time each day.  We have a flock of Common Scoter feeding off Seaton, which peaked at 20 for me, but haven't attracted anything different, and other than two Wigeon that flew west one morning, I've seen no other species of duck out there. Presumably this means the bigger bodies of water in the UK haven't frozen up completely.  Red-throated Divers have been around in ok numbers, with 16 off Branscombe on 3rd and up to four off Seaton.  Our wintering Great Crested Grebe flock has doubled in size since New Year, from one to two birds, and auks have been fairly well spread about with both Guillemot and Razorbill present.  

Best bird for me of the New Year so far was a Merlin that I watched fly up from Colyford Marsh pre-sunrise on the 1st, heading out towards the Axmouth fields.  My first mid-winter Merlin here for well over a decade so was really chuffed with it, and I was even happier that it returned that evening for others to see.  At least one Marsh Harrier is still around too, I have seen it several times since the 1st.  

I last saw the Barnacle Geese on 2nd, so they've clearly moved on now, and are yet to be replaced by any of the greyer varieties.

Barnacle and Canada Geese in the frost

 

Lesser Whitethroats (at least two) remain around Seaton Bowling Green with Black Redstarts and this morning, three Blackcap.

There are some other goodies around that I've not seen yet, with Woodcock, Brambling and Cirl Bunting all gettable, and I will get to them as soon as I can.  Have just been too preoccupied spending any time I've had out trying to find some cold weather birds. 

Check back soon for more!