Winter Swans In Somerset

I have a real soft spot for wildfowl, especially geese and winter swans. On Tuesday afternoon I noticed on the web that a Southlake Moor on the Somerset Levels had both Bewick's and Whooper Swans. Having not seen either for a good few years I was immediately tempted, and when I googled where Southlake Moor was - not that far away at all - I was even more tempted! 

I know many birders who don't really 'get' winter swans - big white birds that, let's be honest, 90% look like Mute Swans.  But for me they are just so emotive, a real symbol of winter. When I was at Spurn, the sight of a flock of Whoopers flying south over the North Sea on a cold November morning, heading for their winter retreat (probably Norfolk), was one of the greatest spectacles of the year.  And living down here in Devon now, I don't see many of them any more.  So, Wednesday morning came, and without thinking twice I was loading up the car and off to Burrowbridge...

Burrow Mump

I parked up in the car park just below the mump, where I was greeted by a vast expanse of water...

Wildfowl haven

...and the stunning sight of eight Whooper Swans on the very nearest bit of it!  I couldn't believe my luck at just how close they were, especially considering how much water they had to choose from...

All eight Whoopers, five adults and three immatures

Such an awesome sight

A phone-scoped pic

Not the usual view of a Whoopers bill

They were absolutely top value, frequently calling to each other, wing flapping - completely and utterly fulfilling my winter swan-needs. And then it got even better...

Scanning further afield I picked up two more adult Whooper Swans with Mute Swans on the flood up towards Burrow Wall Farm, and then spied six more winter swans even further away - these were looking Bewicky.  I jumped back in to the car and tried looking at the flood water from the village of Stathe...

Success!  A short walk along a public footpath gave me an excellent view point where six adult Bewick's Swans were in full view. Unfortunately they weren't as close as the eight Whoopers but nevertheless great to see, especially as there are so few in the UK this winter...

Phwoarrr...

Phone-scoped Bewick's showing the bill pattern

I know they're naff pics but I just can't help posting them!

So that's the swans dealt with, but this place was about so much more!  I was absolutely staggered by the sheer numbers of wildfowl present, really jaw-dropping.  There were easily 8-10,000 Wigeon spread around, along with c500-800 Pintail, a thousand or so Teal, c250 Shoveler and a few Gadwall.  I can tell you this is quite something when you are used to looking at no more than 300 Wigeon day in day out! 

So many ducks!

This spectacle really opened my eyes. I am such a dedicated patch birder, and have been for so long now, that the bird scene here completely sculptures my birding. Checking a flock of 300 Wigeon say two or three times a week is my birding, I scan through them once or twice, nothing rare, job done. Flipping heck at Southlake Moor you could scan the Wigeon daily for a month and still not find a lurking American Wigeon! 

And that's got me thinking, does this mean I have become a lazy birder? Am I so settled in a birding routine that I am no longer (to quote the very sadly recently departed Martin Garner) 'pushing the boundaries', or my boundaries anyway...

I think I need to embark on a few more off patch forays...

Happy New Year!

Well, I'm afraid there's no huge review post for the year of 2012. To be honest - birding wise it was mostly a bit pants.  Adding Long-eared Owl, Spotted Crake and Crane to my patch list were obviously amazing highlights, but the autumn was without doubt one of the worst birding autumn's I've ever had - in terms of numbers and rarities.  Spring though was great at times for numbers, with two of my visits to Beer Head being some of the best ever spring birding I've had here - migrants EVERYWHERE!  Missing a Kentish Plover was a massive low light but we won't dwell on that.......

Christmas 2012 was brilliant - our first in our new house.  I got some lovely presents (never too old!), and this was a real surprise from Jess.  I took a photo of a Mute Swan last year, she got hold of a copy of the photo and turned it into this amazing canvas...

It looks fab on the landing wall!

And how is the house?  It's brilliant - already feels like home. Yesterday we FINALLY got around to sorting out the last room - the room I'm sat in now.  All I need is a sign for the door that says 'Steve's Office'...

That china cat isn't mine!!

Ok, now to birds again.  I said I was going to give a 2013 year list a go if the Bewick's Swans remained. They have remained so the 2013 year list is ON!  And what do I hope to achieve from year listing I hear you ask?

My target is to see/hear 200 species on the (lesser) patch in 2013.  

This has never been done before, and will prove very hard to do, but it is ever so slightly possible. We just need to have a VERY good year, and I need to see almost all of it!  I do hope all the fellow local birders will help me in my quest.

My January tactic is going to be 'go for the goodies, and let everything else come to me'.  That is why I am not going to do any list totting 'til the end of this month.  I do have several off patch surveys to do, so could well end up missing some winter scarcities/rarities - but I hope not.

I was out at 7am this morning, didn't see any Owls or Red-legged Partridges, added the Bewick's at dawn, then headed over to Beer where no Velvet Scoters were on view.  Pants.  Few Red-throated Divers and lots of auks about though.

After breakfast, Jess and I headed over to Colyton where a wood survey gave at least five Woodcock, a Green Woodpecker, a Siskin but very little else.  

A few hours later we fancied a New Years stroll along the sea front.  There were far too many people about for my liking - and a Black Redstart felt the same way.  It wasn't in any of its usual haunts, but instead down a small cul-de-sac one road inland from the beach.

The last birding action of today was an evening stroll at Black Hole Marsh. This is where my most surprising sighting came.  We were stood on the viewing platform, where I was getting glimpses of two very vocal and mobile Cetti's Warblers, when I could suddenly hear a Dipper calling!  A very out of place looking Dipper then flew right past us, circled around (quite high) over Black Hole Marsh, before heading back NW up the Stafford Brook. So bizarre!  I had checked the more usual Dipper haunts earlier in the day, and the water levels were way too high.  I guess this is why today I saw my first ever Dipper on the Axe reserves!

I hope to have an hour or so out in the morning whilst getting a couple of new tyres. Hopefully I can add some more species to the list...

Christmas Wishes

Well I hope all my blog readers (if there's any left!?) had a great Christmas. I had an amazing one in our new home.  Sad that it is mostly over now - would you believe I am back to work today!!

I had some lovely Christmas presents (many house-related ones!). The birding gods gave me an early present too...

Beauties!

It was pretty much the first time I'd been birding in the valley for about a month  - seriously it's been THAT bad.  And these two Bewick's Swans were opposite Axmouth Football club near Boshill Cross.  These are the third and fourth Bewick's that I've seen on patch - we had (different) singles overwintering with the wintering Mute Swans 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.  So I wonder if these are going to stay for the winter?  Which brings me on to...

I have decided, seeing as I didn't year list this year, that if the (or one of the) Bewick's Swans remain until Jan 1st (and I see them!), then I will be doing a local patch year list in 2013. So, I've left it for the 'birding Gods' to decide...

    

Gulls And More Summer Migrants

The weather totally changed overnight, with the high pressure and blue skies of recent days replaced with rain and mist! A drastic change in weather conditions during migration periods usually means something happens on the birding front, so this morning I chose to leave 15 minutes early for band practice so I could give the Estuary the once over.

A scan with my bins over the rather small collection of big Gulls just north of Coronation Corner revealed the very exciting sight of an immature white winger! I quickly assembled my telescope to see...

...a first-winter Iceland Gull :-)

This is the first Iceland Gull (seen) on the Axe since August 2009. As you can see it was a very well marked individual with a fair bit of streaking around the eye and head, and some dark markings still on the scapulars and coverts.

It spent a few minutes in the water, before flying a short distance and landing amongst the main gathering of Gulls...

Note the second summer Med in the foreground!

After watching it for about 25 minutes, and just as Ian Mc pulled up, it took to the air and flew off north. Despite looking for it this afternoon, there's been no sign of it since :-(

Today has seen a fair bit of Gull action, with up to 40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the Estuary and six Med Gulls...

All six of today's Med Gulls - the only adult was the metal ringed bird

The weather conditions really did 'feel' good today for some migration action, but aside ten Sand Martins, a Swallow and two singing Willow Warblers at Lower Bruckland Ponds late morning, it wasn't until I got to Black Hole Marsh mid afternoon that I noticed some actual passage.

Here 20 Sand Martins, several Meadow Pipits and a surprise flock of eight Ringed Plovers flew north over. Afterwards at Seaton Marshes I saw just four hirundines, but one of these was my first House Martin of 2011. It was with two Sand Martins and a Swallow feeding low over the southern part of the reserve.

To complete today's post, the Bewick's Swan is still in the valley, and during a quick sea watch late afternoon, my first Sandwich Tern of the year came in and flew around for a few minutes looking totally lost in the sea mist!...

Sorry about the awful photo, but as you should know by now - it never normally stops me! :-)

Some Big News!

Well, the major talking point today is the preliminary results of the DNA sequencing of the grey and white Yellow Wagtail present at Colyton WTW last December. I've posted the full details on the Devon Bird News blog for all to read: http://devonbirdnews.blogspot.com/2011/03/colyford-yellow-wagtail-uk-first.html

This post is going to have to be a quickie, as I'm of to work shortly. I spent a bit of time out and about today, new birds seen include eight Sand Martins at Lower Bruckland Ponds and a Bar-tailed Godwit on the Estuary...

Taken in the pouring rain

'Hangers on' include the Bewick's Swan and Greylag Goose opposite Stecombe, and four Velvet Scoters still off Seaton Hole.

More Summer Migrants!

A quick look about late this morning revealed two Sand Martins at Lower Bruckland Ponds. I always find it tricky to photo hirundines, especially in dull light, and these two never came that low. Still....

...here's one of them! You can see what it is at least!

Also saw a couple of adult summer Med Gulls on the Estuary and the Bewick's Swan still opposite Stedcombe Vale.

The Tesco building site has been mentioned on the other local birding blogs recently, so I must say something about it on here......there you go - that was it!

I have got to post this photo though. This chap was sat on this chair for the whole half hour I was along the Estuary yesterday, he was probably sat there all day! He must have the easiest job in the world...

Mind you - it doesn't look all that much fun! I wonder if he is guarding whatever is in those white bags!?

The Fifth Season

It's not winter, and it's not spring!

Every year, the temperature seems to increase and we get some lovely warm and pleasant days towards the end of winter, spring feels like it is just round the corner....WRONG! We then get 'x' amount of weeks of blasting cold northerlies! From inside looking out it all looks very nice, but when you actually go out - you realise how wrong you were! I call this time of year "spring my arse".

This flipping wind (along with the freezing night time temperatures) is why there has been no more moth trapping since my first two attempts of the year last week. Saying that though, tomorrow night Garden Moth Scheme begins, so I am putting the Robinson out whatever the weather.

Anyway, this is what I have been up to over the past couple of days...

Yesterday, we had a few hours of ringing at Colyford WTW. Blackbirds seemed to be everywhere here, we caught loads! But the highlight of the ringing session was this...

A beautifully marked Treecreeper

Now to today, the river valley showed a Brent Goose (with the Canade Geese - rather notable), the Bewick's Swan and Greylag Goose still, two adult Med Gulls and the usual Blackwits...

Note the distinctive reddish tints to some of them - more false hope that it's spring!

This birding used up pretty much all the spare time I've had today, as this morning I enjoyed a lovely drive up to Tiverton and back. It was a really beautiful drive, the blue skies making our county looking especially stunning.

So why did I go to Tiverton? I hear you ask... Well it was to collect this...

An ex-Hoopoe!

This bird spent a couple of days in a Tiverton garden before Christmas - but succumbed during the cold weather. Luckily, they've been kind enough to keep it in the freezer until I finally pulled my finger out and went up and collected it!

They downer is (apart from the fact it's dead!), is that on its left leg is...

A purple, very non wild looking, bird ring

If anyone can help as to where this ring (and bird!) may have come from, then please drop me a note/call/email/comment....

Bewick's Is Back

I've had plenty of County Recorder work to catch up on over the last few days, so haven't had any time for birding. Last week, Gallinule related-things took up most of my time, so other aspects of the job just had to take a back seat...now they're in the front seat again! I'm pleased to say though, today has been a very productive day and I can now see light :-)

Mid morning, I just had to get out for a drive - my laptop was doing my head in! I zoomed along the Estuary to Boshill Cross, back to Colyford then home again. I'm not totally sure why I did this, it wasn't to go birding because I ignored an Estuary full of Gulls!? I did stop in one place though - Stedcombe Vale - where I was pleasantly surprised to see our Bewick's Swan back again. I haven't seen him anywhere since Jan 1st, and not down this part of the valley since about mid Dec.

Anyway, he was fairly close and on a nice frosty ground, so the camera just had to come out....

A gorgeous bird :-)

What A Difference A Day Makes

I was planning to be on the sea front by dawn. I would have had to walk down, so had my alarm set for 06:30. For some reason either it didn't go off, or it just didn't wake me, and there I lay in bed snoozing for longer than I had expected!

When I finally did wake up, I gambled and got my car out. All was fine, and I got to the sea front at 09:30. All WASN'T fine here! I'm flipping glad I stayed in bed...

...you could barely see the sea!

A look up the valley didn't show anything that was obviously new, but six Gadwall and yesterday's Barwit were still present...

With Blackwits about halfway along the Estuary

The Bewick's Swan remains with the small gang of Mute Swans opposite Stedcombe. This photo is rubbish; the only reason I'm posting it is because it shows how small the Bewick's looks...

Teeny!

Lower Bruckland Ponds is nearly entirely frozen over, except for a small patch in the corner of the top pond. This was covered in ducks, though only two of them weren't Mallards. One was this...

Shoveler

And the other was this....

Answers on the back of a postcard please! What is it and where? (ps Coot isn't a duck!)

I then had a look at Bindon Barns, hoping for a nice rare Bunting. This never materialised, but there were up to 30 Yellowhammer feeding on the spilt grain...

Certainly worth keeping an eye on then, I would LOVE a patch Cirl Bunt!

It had just passed midday, and another look over sea showed the horrible 'sea steam' was clearing. So I went to Seaton Hole.

A very nice surprise here was a distant Velvet Scoter - my first on patch for a wee while. The word distant is an understatement though - I couldn't tell you what age or sex it was! Hopefully it will stay with us for a few days or more, and drift in a bit closer!

Also here were two Eider, eight Common Scoter and a flock of six Tufted Duck which landed briefly on the sea before flying off west.

To complete this post, a Brambling flew over the garden at 9am, but almost no Skylarks and not one Lapwing! What a difference a day makes....

Cold Weather Birding

Apologies for the lack of blog posts - when I've been on this laptop within the last few days I've had much more important things to think about! I have been updating the Devon Birding Blog when I could though.

So, I hope you are ready to read one monster blog post covering the last FOUR days! It is worth reading as I have seen lots of nice stuff. The best day was today, and that's right at the end. So you may as well read the rest of the rubbish between that and this....

MONDAY

Spent the first couple of hours of light at Colyford Common - it was freezing! Three Ruff flew low north west over at 8am, and amongst the frost were one Water and 11 Rock Pipits and a Green Sandpiper.

A look along the A3052 revealed 13 Golden Plovers (one by the pig fields, 12 beside Boshill Cross). All day small flock of Lapwing were flying south down the valley and presumably out to sea.

A good look along the Estuary and over Colyford and Seaton Marshes produced wildfowl totals of: 12 Brent Geese (the same flock as a couple of weeks ago), c450 Wigeon, 380 Teal (a good count for us), 11 Shoveler and six Gadwall...

Four drakes - Gadwall aren't common here

Shoveler on ice from Seaton Hide

Two adult Med Gulls were on the Estuary and a look at Lower Bruckland Ponds showed no unusual ducks, but a Cetti's Warbler was my first ever there.

Tuesday

This was a day of limited birding for me. First thing I had to carry out my monthly bird survey in private woodland near Colyton. I was surprised to see quite a bit of snow still on the ground (bearing in mind we hadn't had any at all in Seaton!)...

There were even some light snow showers

I flushed four Woodcock during my walk round, which was nice! Even nicer though was a lovely flock of ten Lesser Redpolls.

Small flocks of these just oooooze with character - I love 'em!

I returned home, and stayed here for a good while. Early afternoon though a text from Dad tempted me out down to the Estuary to see three Goosanders...

The same three Gav saw on the sea the previous day maybe?

Whilst here, out of nowhere, this appeared....

...a sleeping adult Spoonbill! For much better pics of it click HERE

Later, a further check of the Estuary produced five lovely Ruff just north of Coronation Corner, four Med Gulls and a 'weirdo' Gull. At first I thought my 'weirdo' Gull was a LBBGxHerring, but it may just be a weird yellow-legged Herring Gull. I took this photo at 16:15; it was almost dark, with an exposure time of 1/4!...

Its legs were yellow - just not bright yellow like an adult YLG. Also note slightly darker mantle shade, slighter size and intense head streaking

Tuesday didn't end well! The alarm at work wouldn't set, so I didn't get out of there until 23:30!

Wednesday

Up for work at 7am, then after a short three hour shift a sweep of the Estuary showed a Knot and the Spoonbill still. I then returned home to bury myself in my laptop once more! I really should have had a kip - 'cuz I was knackered and was due back at work at 17:00. Yes - a lovely split shift!

I got fed up with my laptop, so mid afternoon had another look about. Couldn't find anything different - well that was until I had a look at the small flock of Swans opposite Stedcombe House at 16:00. There sat an adult Bewick's Swan...

Nice!

At first I presumed it was the same bird we had last winter - that often frequented the same spot. But its bill pattern gave the game away - quite different from last winter's bird. Here's a closer pic of today's bird, with a head shot of last winter's bird cut and pasted in...

See, quite different; and it's even obvious on photos as crap as these!!

Today - what a day!!

I woke up to this...

White out!!!

Our road was an ice rink - so I knew I couldn't go out in my car. As I was tucking into my Cheerios, out the front room windows I noticed a small flock of Lapwings fly west. So I kitted myself up and headed out...to the front garden!

Bloody hell it was BRILLIANT! When I started I really didn't think I was going to witness a cold weather movement on the scale that I did!! I watched and counted 08:40 - 12:00.

Most of the birds were flying west, except thrushes and Starlings which were mostly flying north east. So if I haven't put a direction after a species assume this is the way it was going.

I can see the sea from my place, and I could see ducks flying over it. But I only counted ducks which were obviously flying over land - this gave me two garden ticks!! Ok, so this is what I saw....

22 Shelduck
140 Wigeon (50 north)
21 Teal (6 north)
4 Shoveler (in with a flock of Shelduck - garden tick!)
6 Tufted Duck (a mega garden tick, 3 of each sex; they flew west but soon came back east)
1,453 Lapwing (the largest single flock was of 70 birds - a well impressive passage)
1 Golden Plover
1 Curlew
30 Common Snipe (a few of these flew north, have only ever seen a couple of these from the garden before today!)
1 Redshank (flew north - second record for the garden)
5 Buzzard (all singles - and all were properly 'on the move')
2 Kestrel
90 Wood Pigeon
1 Mistle Thrush
63 Fieldfare
259 Redwing
86 Starling
1,154 Skylark (biggest flock was of 230 birds - saw even more later in the day as well!)
14 Meadow Pipit
40 Linnet

There were probably loads more finches involved in this movement, but separating 'vis mig' birds to birds moving from garden to garden from where I watched is almost impossible.

Well what a morning! I really wasn't expecting that!! Here's a couple of pics...

Lapwing flocks

Snipe

After lunch, I gambled and got in my car! Thankfully I made it in one piece to the sea front, and spent 13:35 - 14:35 looking out to sea.

First of all, Skylarks were still moving. During this watch, and during the rest of the day I counted another 930 over west - with several flocks well out sea. For me then, that makes a day total of 2,084 Skylarks west - epic!!!!

Now to the sea, and it was clear wildfowl were also well on the move. On the sea there was a large flock of Wigeon, Teal with a few Gadwall. Now and then though, some would leave this flock and fly upriver, but also several flocks came in from the south and the east and joined them.

Wildfowl quality came in the form of three Eider on the sea (1 immature drake) and a nice flock of 16 Pochard and three Tufted Duck which flew in from the south, then west, then east, then west, then east, then finally away west...

Any fresh water diving duck is a rarity here!

Further interest over the same came from seven Red-throated Divers (4 on the sea and 3 west) and 12 Great Crested Grebes (easily my highest count so far this winter).

It was very hard to tear myself away from this action - but I did and took a look along the Estuary. A female Tufted Duck and 40 Dunlin being the only note worthy birds.

Had a nice surprise at the Farm Gate though. Funnily enough I was scoping up the field were Gav had just found a few Woodlark, when I suddenly realised I could hear Woodlarks! Two flew low north (and slightly west) over Norcombe's field - result! I wonder if these two and Gav's are from the wintering population that normally resides in the stubble fields above Axmouth.

A quick stop up the road showed the Bewick's Swan was still present with our flock of 12 Brent Geese.

Seaton Marshes was pretty much my last port of call - and the lagoon was smothered in ducks! Nothing out of the ordinary though. There wasn't much on the Borrow Pit either, but a single Grey Plover flew over heading north east. Ian Mc had seen one earlier on the Estuary, but as this had come from the direction of the town I presume it was another.

So what an excellent day indeed! Phew! Now time to ruin it and go to work. I do have one last picture for you though, taken during my visit to Seaton Marshes...

He was searching non stop for food!

Well I hope you enjoyed reading this mammoth post! I wonder what tomorrow will bring....