I consider myself extremely lucky that my daily exercise walk more often than not includes a lap of Seaton Wetlands (Black Hole Marsh, Stafford Marsh and Colyford Common). Living just a three minute walk from the entrance of Black Hole Marsh has never been more appreciated.
Although the aim of this post is summarise some of my highlights from the last couple of weeks, more than ever I am getting so much enjoyment from seeing the commonest species...
Male Reed Bunting
Sedge Warbler - there's at least five singing males on the reserve from what I have observed
Blackcap - good numbers present
Whilst I'm in the bushes and reeds, Reed Warblers are singing in excellent numbers. I counted 11 singing males on 18th April but more have arrived since. The 18th was a good morning for warbler arrivals, being the only cloudy and damp morning that we've had so far this month (was the same morning I had a Willow Warbler singing from my back garden). As well as the Reed Warbler count, I noted a singing Lesser Whitethroat (which is still with us today), a Common Whitethroat andfour Willow Warblers. Wheatears have been really sparse on the marshes this spring with just the occasional one or two noted, I think they are all heading for higher ground thanks to the sun we've enjoyed.
Wading bird passage has been ticking over, no big arrivals but often something different most days. Dunlin numbers have been varying between one and seven birds, and two Ringed Plovers keep popping up every now and then - whether they've been the same two all along who knows!? A lone Knot on Black Hole on 24th was one a pair that had been hanging around a few days, there was a nice but distant summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit on 17th, and Whimbrel have been trickling through for about ten days now. I have already posted a photo of the two Avocets that Phil found yesterday, but today Phil discovered this rather lovely, and fairly late male Little Ringed Plover...
Typical LRP pose
Can't beat a spring LRP
Whimbrel
I know it seems most of my recent posts have included an Osprey - but I'm afraid this one does too! I was treated to the most amazing views of one hovering right above my head on 17th, before it flew off west over town. It virtually looked down into my eyes - have been really spoilt rotten for this species this spring.
My recent visits have also shown that we still have at least two black rabbits with us. For some reason they seem to sporadically appear down here, ever since I have been birding here at least...
Spot the difference!
Bit of a cutey really!
Back at home, the Lesser Whitethroat mentioned above was singing from a green just down the road from my place as I walked back from the marshes today. I scooped Harry up, legged it home and could hear it from my back garden - taking my lockdown house list up to 82. The Grasshopper Warbler still reeling well tonight.
I have a couple of blog posts in the making at the moment, but I just wanted to slip this one in with all the latest from the house.
As I write this, sat in the conservatory with the back doors wide open, I can hear the 81st species of bird added to my lockdown house list. Earlier this morning Phil found a couple of Avocet on Black Hole Marsh, which pleasingly I saw tonight during my evening exercise walk. Once I had returned home a bedroom window vigil failed to show them, but they have been calling sporadically since it's got dark - which is rather nice as it happens to be one of my favourite wader calls. This is what they looked like on Black Hole Marsh earlier this evening...
They were in stunning plumage, and on size a male and female
Species number 80 was an slightly overdue one, with a male Bullfinch (scoped I must add - it wasn't close!) late afternoon yesterday.
Back to today, and I was thrilled to see my fifth Osprey of the spring, which flew very low north over Primrose Way at 16:30. So often when the gulls take off and start giving that distinctive 'there's a raptor coming' alarm call, it can take a while before you actually spot what it is that has spooked them. Sometimes, well quite often really, you don't spot it at all. But this time I looked up and it was right there just above roof top height, so impressive that I actually said "wow" out loud! Of course by the time I got the camera out it was further north and had begun circling up, but I managed to grab the below pic. This was our second Osprey of the day, as Kevin saw another fly NE over his place at 14:50.
A distinctive bird with broken tips on two of the primaries on its right wing, as well as the obvious wing moult
The other very exciting news I have to share is that my reeling neighbour - the Grasshopper Warbler I first discovered from my back garden five days ago - is amazingly still here! Bizarre really as where he is looks nothing like traditional breeding Gropper habitat at all, I wouldn't even think to look for a migrant one there! It's basically just a hedge in between two intensively managed ecologically barren crop fields. Still, there must be something he likes, and although throughout the day he doesn't make a sound, from about 19:45 he's been reeling almost non-stop til around 21:15. Such a treat - I can actually hear him whilst lying in bed!
A couple of evenings ago I went back out into the field hoping to see him. No luck there, but his vocal performance was off the scale...
A nice flat sea this morning encouraged me to start my day on Seaton Beach...
As expected there was next to nothing flying over it, but on it were my first two Great Crested Grebes of the winter and a locally respectable count of eight Red-throated Divers. Unusually six of these divers were really close in, presumably indicating we've got some pretty good feeding conditions close in. Really enjoyed watching them...
This was followed by a quick look along the Estuary, which showed a single Knot with the roosting Redshank. Another quick look later revealed an Avocet too, another bird that first dropped in yesterday. I then had just enough time to confirm the continued presence of at least three Water Pipits opposite Colyford WTW (which I continued to photography abysmally!)...
Find of the day however goes to Mike, who turned up an extremely late Whinchat on Beer Head this afternoon. Can't be far off Devon's latest ever?
Winter can be a bit of a long, slow and sometimes dull season for the patch birder, this winter especially so on the Axe. There's not been much other than the usual fare so far, and numbers in general have been pretty poor. But like any patch birder, whispers of snow in the forecast early last week raised my excitement levels, and Thursday night delivered a fine but widespread covering of the white-stuff...
Looking west over the valley
Major snow events often deliver some impressive bird movements on/over the Axe, but I really wasn't expecting much when I woke up on Friday morning. It was only a fine covering of snow, it wasn't country-wide and I knew it wasn't going to be in any way a prolonged spell of cold.
I spent the first hour of the day looking out from the house and garden, and what I saw seemed to confirm my thoughts; a couple of small groups of Lapwing, one Golden Plover and a flock of 15 Redwing flew over. I then had a look around the Estuary, and other than a group of about 40 Fieldfare on Bridge Marsh - nothing else was where it isn't usually...
But then I went to the seafront.... and saw the most mind-blowing bird movement I have ever witnessed in my entire life. Just take a look at these two short videos. Make them full screen and turn the sound up...
Thousands upon thousands of thrushes!
I wish I could have just stayed there all day, but the only way I could quantify this movement in any way was by counting 'Portland-style' (a selection of 'sample counts'). Between 10:00 and 15:00 I carried out one 15 minute count, one ten minute count, two five minute counts and three two minute counts. The last one at 15:00 showed that the passage had slowed a bit, but all previous counts gave an absolutely astonishing figure of between 400-500 thrushes passing PER MINUTE! Huge flocks were passing over, almost constantly - gaps often of only 20-30 seconds between flocks. This statistic is staggering on its own, but when it's multiplied up it becomes really mind destroying.... Even if we take the lowest figure, 400, this suggests that somewhere in the region of 120,000 thrushes flew over Seaton on 1st February! As staggering as this number is, I am certain it's an under estimation, especially as they were clearly passing in these numbers prior to 10am, and I've included nothing that may have passed after 15:00.
Looking at the species break down, Redwings were by far the most abundant species, with an estimation of 80% of the all thrushes seen/heard being this species. This would make the Redwing day total somewhere in the region of 96,000! Unreal. I did hear the occasional Song Thrush call emitting from the chaos and Fieldfare made up the remaining 20%.
James Mc at Lyme was also seeing this passage, as was Dan over at Sidmouth and Kev in Beer. What I can't believe though is that was it. No reports of this massive movement west of Sidmouth, in fact Dawlish Warren reported virtually no thrush movement at all! And the only reports east of us were from Portland where up to 10.000 Redwing were seen to leave north west over Ferrybridge (http://www.portlandbirdobs.com/2019/02/1st-february.html). What on earth is that about!? Where did they all come from and where did they all go!?
Skylark were also moving in good numbers (I noted a couple of hundred, so 1000+ probably passed during the day), with a calling Woodlark over Seafield Garden at 10:45 being a nice highlight. Kev had a second one over Beer an hour or so later. I also logged a couple of small flocks of Lapwing and the odd Linnet, Chaffinch and Siskin, but in general variety was poor and it was all about thrushes and Skylarks.
As I'm typing this my mind is still blown to be honest. Feels almost a bit like space, involving numbers that only people like Brian Cox can truly comprehend. Just so so so many birds.
About mid afternoon I had another look around the valley, and by now ground was starting to thaw and birds were congregating in these spots. The slope just to the east of the Estuary was like a rolling carpet of Redwing, 500+ birds here (at the same time as the passage was still happening over the seafront by the way!). Bridge Marsh also showed lots of thrushes along with a flock of 60+ Skylark. Then just up the road, the field north of Colyford WTW was again full of thrushes, a flock of Skylark, 300+ Lapwing and c60 Golden Plover. Here's a few pics...
Redwings
One of the above Redwing!
Fieldfare
Skylarks
A Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Golden Plover with a Lapwing background
Best of all about this amazing influx of birds was that none of them looked to be struggling in any obvious way. Everything I saw on the ground appeared to be finding plenty of food, and all the birds passing overhead were flying strongly and with purpose - not something weak birds can do. It was really nice to witness a cold weather movement without feeling that sadness usually associated with snowy spells. I am really surprised this relatively small amount of snow caused such a drastic response from the birds - we had far less snow than last Feb/March but way more overhead passage. Do they know something that we don't?
And now to today...
The weather this morning (2nd) was completely different. Still pretty cold, but crystal clear blue skies and most of the snow had melted away. There were still lots of birds about, with thrushes flying around everywhere, but they were flying in all directions. It was nice to catch up with two waders on the Estuary that Phil saw the previous day, a Bar-tailed Godwit and this Avocet...
Avocet and Black-headed Gull
Got to love an Avocet in flight!
There were also 47 Dunlin here which isn't a bad mid-winter count for us. And that's it for this somewhat mammoth blog post. Truly unforgettable stuff though.
I spent all day at work today, so once I'd clocked off at 4.30pm I had a quick whiz round hoping for my first Wheatear of the year. Despite checking several sites I couldn't find one, so I spent the last twenty minutes of daylight watching gulls drop in at the lower end of the Estuary.
It was mostly small gulls, but among the larger ones were eight Lesser Black-backs and two birds that I am a bit puzzled by. I originally put them both down as HerringxLesser Black-backed hybrids, but now think bird one could be a pure Yellow-legged. If anyone thinks differently or has some views then please let me know. All photos were taken when it was nearly dark...
Bird one
Bird one again, with a Herring in shot to compare mantle shades
Bird two
Bird two again
Both are yellow-legged, albeit a dull yellow, which actually is fine for pure Yellow-legged or Lesser Black-backed Gulls of this age.
Bird one I'm pretty sure on bill and moult is a third-winter, but I haven't completely ruled out it being an advanced second-winter. It was the larger of the two yellow-legged birds being Herring Gull-sized, but short-legged, reminiscent of Lesser Black-backed Gull. The bird's mantle colour actually looked pretty spot on for a pure Yellow-legged Gull, I usually find these hybrids look the wrong shade of grey for YLG. I have to be honest and say I am struggling with this bird, but do think it could indeed be a pure Yellow-legged.
Bird two was built more like a Lesser Black-backed Gull in all proportions, and I think it's a second-winter despite the yellow bill. Again a short legged and cute headed gull, but mantle colour was a touch darker than bird one, more akin to the previous presumed HerringxLesser Black-backed Gulls that I've seen here.
Hmmmmmmm.... Gulls, who'd have them!
Away from these confusing gulls, there's still a decent variety of wading birds on the Estuary with Avocet, Greenshank and two Bar-tailed Godwits again present today.
It's been great to see birds behaving as they should be again today, and where they should be. Wading birds and wildfowl on the river, and thrushes in the fields and not in the middle of housing estates. There are still plenty of birds about though...
I've had three tours of the Estuary today and a visit to Black Hole Marsh. Most birds seen were lingerers from the last few days, except for a couple more Avocet and a two fold increase in Gadwall. My highlights were;
8 Pintail
290 Wigeon
12 Gadwall (two 6's in the morning, an 8 and 4 in the afternoon)
80 Teal
7 Shoveler 10 Avocet (a double figure Avocet count for the Axe is exceptional!)
700+ Lapwing
9 Golden Plover
1 Grey Plover
72 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Bar-tailed Godwit
2 Dunlin
4 Mediterranean Gull (all adults)
70 Skylark (in the field opposite Colyford WTW)
I was really hoping for a Bittern today, with my thinking being the increased water levels may reveal one that's been lurking in the reeds since the cold snap... If it happened I wasn't in the right place at the right time. No sign of any Ruff or the recent Spotted Redshank for me today either.
What has been so incredible about the recent cold weather movement is the number of wading birds that's been involved. Since last Thursday there has been a staggering twenty species of wading birds recorded on the Axe Estuary. To put this in perspective we usually only have nine species of waders that regularly winter on our tiny Estuary, although it's been eleven this year with singles of Greenshank and Ringed Plover bucking the trend. Twenty is usually only possible in a short space of time like this in May or September - but even in those months it doesn't happen that often. A lot of these waders are lingering too, with the Avocet flock ever building, and the Spotted Redshank, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwits still here from last Wednesday/Thursday. Knot and Sanderling (four of the former, three of the latter) and a whole lot of Dunlin (193!) were the only brief visitors, being seen by new patch birder Billy on Thursday afternoon but not since (he also found the Spot Red and Barwits).
Watching the Avocets today, and having read something on the Portland Bird Obs website the other day, suddenly it clicked. Let's just think about this, why would an Avocet sat on a snowy Estuary somewhere decide that upping sticks and flying tens/hundreds of miles was the best thing to do, instead of just sitting there and waiting for the tide to drop?
Avocets are a March species for us, no we don't usually get ten, one to four would be a more typical count. But March is clearly the month they begin to migrate back to their breeding grounds. So maybe, although for the Lapwing, Golden Plovers, thrushes and other passerines what we witnessed was undoubtedly a cold weather movement, for other species of wading birds, are we actually seeing spring passage? We know that heavy rain showers cause migrating wading birds to drop in, so a gigantic snow front that has tracked north across the English Channel, well that's going to ground everything that's trying to fly through it right!?
Rewind to March 2013 (blog post HERE). Many early spring migrants arrived, like Sand Martins, Chiffchaffs, Little Ringed Plovers, Stone Curlew, Ospreys and Ring Ouzels, but a brisk northeast wind and freezing temperatures meant they all stalled on the south coast and went nowhere for several days. It was so tragic to watch so many Chiffchaffs struggling to find food on pavements and in gutters, do you remember it? Well I'm wondering whether this is something similar, but as it's happened earlier in the month its not affected the species that we think of as the early spring migrants, but the true early spring migrants like waders, gulls and wildfowl?
Well Ophelia has come and gone, but in birding terms delivered nothing. She didn't bring any American land birds or waders, and didn't even drag up that many sea birds on her journey - bit or an ornithological flop really. But since then things have picked up...
The last week has seen an exceptional arrival of Firecrest across south Devon and Dorset, well some parts of south Devon and Dorset! Portland recorded an unprecedented 150+ on Sunday, with probably just as many around Prawle/Start/Soar. But other places (Dawlish Warren, Exmouth, here) recorded none on the very same day! Pleasingly they have started trickling through here now, I had my first at Spring Head, Axmouth on Monday afternoon, with another on Tuesday up by Axe Cliff Golf Course car park. Dad had six at Beer Head also on Tuesday, and Bun another in Beer village. Such smart birds.
A quick look along the beach to see what Ophelia had left us revealed just six Ringed Plover, a LittleStint (presumably the lingering bird) and a whole load more Man o' War.
Looking east along Seaton Beach on Tuesday morning
Wednesday gave us a nice double, although sadly one of which I missed. Our Reserves Officer James Chubb saw a Great White Egret on Colyford Common (which had previously been at Abbotsbury Swannery), but it soon took flight and headed off south west. So proving to be as brief a visitor as the other two recorded here this year. Drat. What followed cheered me up though...
Yellow-browed Warblers have proved much scarcer this autumn than recent years, presumably solely because we've not had the easterly winds of the previous few autumns. So, stepping out my front door early afternoon, I was really surprised to hear one call from trees just up the road - my third from the garden! I didn't have great views of it, but Tim White clearly did an hour or so later as he managed THIS fab picture of it - always such smart birds and always great to see/hear.
The drizzle and completely still conditions of last night saw (well heard!) an excellent nocturnal passage of Redwing and Song Thrush overhead, which gave me high hopes for this morning. But those hopes have not really been lived up too (as usual!), although it did feel really good out there. There was one lovely highlight though...
As I drove over the lower Axe bridge into Seaton, I was amazed to see a flock of six Avocet fly across in front of the car! A really mega-sized flock by Axe standards. I watched them fly upriver, they then circled around a bit before seeming to drop down on Black Hole Marsh. So I went around for another gander...
And that brings me and this blog up to date! So good to feel proper autumn excitement - we are a go...
Wow what a day. The best birding day of the month turned out to be the last day of the month, and that was simply because we had some different weather. A nice south easterly wind has been blowing all day (since yesterday in fact) and we've had lots of rain. And this meant birds birds birds!
Although south easterlies aren't our best wind direction for sea watching (that's south westerlies) I just had to give the sea a look - quite a long look in the end! I started the day with a four hour sea watch and then had two twenty minute glances during the afternoon, all from the Spot On Kiosk. These are the exact times, and this is what I saw (east unless stated);
05:50-09:50, 13:10-13:30, 15:10-15:30;
2 Dark-bellied Brent Goose
110 Common Scoter (75e 35w)
5 Great Northern Diver (all singles and all west)
70+ Gannet
6 Manx Shearwater (two singles and a four)
4 Arctic Skua (ad pale-phased west at 08:40, ad pale-phased and near-ad pale-phased close east together at 09:02 and ad dark-phased west at 09:40)
3 Mediterranean Gull (all first-years)
6 Common Gull
40 Black-headed Gull (most flew in)
21 Sandwich Tern
1 Arctic Tern (so close that I think it came out of the Estuary then flew east at 08:20)
4 Dunlin (in)
3 Sanderling (one east with a flock of ten Whimbrel and later two flew in sat on beach briefly then headed off west)
72 Whimbrel (biggest single flock being 38 birds)
2 Guillemot
14 Razorbill
8 auk sp.
1 Yellow Wagtail (flew east along beach calling).
I'm pleased to say there's four year ticks in that list; Arctic Skua and Tern, Manxie and Sanderling. I had to wait for the skuas, they only arrived once the cloud came over and just prior/during the first rain showers of the day. Although the numbers always make a sea watch for me (Whimbrel and Scoter today), and of course the skuas which are always notable birds here, my star bird of the watch was the Arctic Tern. Our 'commic's' are usually distant, but this thing virtually flew over my head! Great to be able to see all the diagnostic features, but best of all that distinctive bouncy flight and super long tail streamers. Now if I was to be a bit whingy a Black Tern would have been nice, but I'm not today - it's just been such a fab fab day!
Whimbrel flying east
Arctic Skua - just!
One of the closest Gannets of the day
With many other birders watching the coast today, there were a couple of interesting re-sightings of my birds. My four Manx Shearwaters in the afternoon flew past Sidmouth half an hour earlier (Dan), and it took my dark-phased Arctic Skua twenty minutes to fly from here to Budleigh (B Heasman) and then another forty minutes before it flew west past Teignmouth (L Allnat). Always find this kind of stuff fascinating, thanks for getting in touch folks.
Considering the amount of wading birds passing over the sea, I knew the river valley would be worth keeping an eye on today. By the end of the day on the Estuary there were;
10 Ringed Plover
12 Dunlin
5 Bar-tailed Godwit (three sum plum males)
3 Black-tailed Godwit
36 Whimbrel (giving me a day total of well over a hundred - very notable count for the Axe)
1 Greenshank
From left to right; three Barwits, a Whimbrel and a Blackwit
Is there a finer wader? Summer plumaged male Bar-tailed Godwit
And again
And again! x2
Four of the five Barwits from today
And this wasn't it. Wandering towards the Colyford Marsh hide early afternoon I noticed all the birds that were clearly on the main scrape on Colyford Marsh lift off and behave as though they'd just been spooked by something. Two minutes later I was watching my/our first Marsh Harrier of 2017. Year tick number five of the day...
Female Marsh Harrier
And again, but a little more zoomed in
I must just thank my wife, who's been amazing as always and was quite happy to let me fill my boots when it came to birding - she knows how much I've been longing for this weather. In my defence I did find time to build a bed today as well!
Before I sign off for the night I will quickly tie up yesterday's birding news - don't worry it won't be long as I only had about an hour out. Saying that it was a pretty good hour though! First up was an Avocet that flew in calling on the Estuary just as the tide was coming in...
Avocet and Shelduck
Then there was a new in Lesser Whitethroat singing alongside the tram line opposite Coronation Corner. And finally my forty minute wander along the beach with the dog which produced a Great Skua east and a Mute Swan and 22 Pale-bellied Brent Geese west...
Pale-bellied Brent Geese, later seen off Dawlish Warren
Only a quick blog today, but two Egyptian Geese flew west over Colyford Marsh, and then off west over Colyford at about 08:20 this morning. A mega PWC tick, don't think I've seen one here for a good three or four years. It was lovely to see at least 45 Sand Martins hawking over Colyford and Bridge Marsh as well, it's amazing how quickly they've flooded in this year, often we just see dribs and drabs through the Axe before bigger numbers arrive late in March.
Another migrant that appeared to arrive in numbers this morning were Chiffchaffs. Several more at Seaton Marshes, including at least one with a pollen forehead. Still no Wheatear for me though. The Avocet was still present on Black Hole Marsh at 9am.
I've never been a fan of March when it comes to birding, so much promise and hope, but in reality you see a few Wheatears and Sand Martins mid month and often very little else.
The first ten days of this March were just as disappointing as I was expecting. The sea has been absolutely dire with watches most mornings showing nothing on it and nothing over it, and there's been no summer migrants for me despite a few Sand Martins and Wheatears turning up elsewhere. There's not even been any early March wader passage on the Estuary which often occurs (Greenshank, Ruff, Knot, etc). It's the gulls that have kept me going, with a couple of days of triple figure Common Gulls and the odd Mediterranean Gull still coming through. There's been nice numbers of big gulls too, but even these have disappointed with no more white-wingers or anything better.
There was one thirty minutes of slight delight on the 9th, when the warmth of the sun in Axmouth encouraged my first Blackcap of the year to sing, along with - at last - my first PWC2017 Nuthatch. It was nice to see a Brimstone too, this helped make it feel really spring-like...
Today though spring really did step up a gear. The low cloud/fog dropped some migrants in the Axe valley, and it all started with a text from Ian Mc mid morning reading "Short-eared Owl Seaton Marshes". Twenty minutes later this was my view...
Can you see it?
Dreadful pic I know!
Yes it was day roosting in a tree - quite unusual for a Short-eared. And it stayed here for the whole of the day too! I saw two Short-eareds last year on patch, but they are only just about annual in the valley and often don't stay for long, so it's nice to get this one on the year list early.
About half an hour after seeing this beaut, news filtered in from Lesley Clarke of an Avocet on Black Hole Marsh. Perfect. And bang on cue, March is by far and away our peak month for Avocet on the Axe, you would be unlucky to go the month without seeing one - but then again I have gone a year without seeing one here, so it's another handy year tick...
It was showing really well from the Tower Hide, although I didn't have time to venture up there. It's bound to have woken the local wader photographers from their winter hibernation though, and hopefully they will have many more subjects to aim their lenses at this year. Another good Black Hole Marsh wader year would be greatly appreciated by me that's for sure! Interestingly this bird was colour-ringed, and I will post the details here when I find out about its life history. Be great to know where it wintered last winter that's for sure.
Later on today I had another hour out, and was delighted to see Sand Martins had suddenly arrived. There were ten over Colyford Marsh and 18+ over Lower Bruckland Ponds between 16:00-17:00. I wouldn't have been that surprised if I'd seen a Swallow amongst them, I didn't, but I was really surprised to pick up a House Martin with the flock at Lower Brucklands. My earliest ever in the UK by just under three weeks (31st March being my previous earliest). Amazing. I knew I had to get a snap of it to save face, but sadly couldn't do any better than this...
March Mega!
It may be dreadful, but it is identifiable. Mind you the same could be said for any of my above pics!
