Birdwatching Tram - 08/09/19

Led another Birdwatch tram on Sunday morning, leaving Seaton Station at 9am.  I had one bird on my mind, and told the driver if I saw it we were to just "go for it!".  Just a few minutes in and this is exactly what happened because I could see the Osprey over the Estuary!

We had just brief flight views before it disappeared, but having not caught a fish I knew it hadn't gone too far.  A bit further up the Estuary and there it was, perched on a post where it stayed for about 15 minutes...

Osprey from the tram!

It then took to the air and fished on the Estuary.  We looked at other bit sand pieces but timed our focus back to the Osprey well, as we all saw it dive into the Estuary and come up with a huge fish!  It then flew right past us and up to its favoured spot in the woods...

Osprey with a massive mullet!

What a crowd pleaser!  As were the selection of wading birds, with singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, three Ringed Plover and plenty of the usual species... 

Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover

There were heaps of Teal about, but frustratingly the singles of Kingfisher and Water Rail were so brief only a few of us saw them - everyone heard the Water Rail though as they were so vocal!  Cetti's Warbler (singing), Reed and Sedge Warblers and several Chiffchaffs were also very vocal during the trap, presumably due to the still and warm weather.

Several Wheatears were seen along the track, along with an extremely brief Whinchat.  Far more obliging were the flock of 6-8 Yellow Wagtails feeding around a close herd of cattle, and went nicely with the Pied and Grey Wagtails that were also recorded during the trip.

So all in all, another bloody good trip! 

Best Job Ever?

On Sunday evening I was delighted to lead a tram of 19 (plus Allan our driver) up the Axe Valley on a Birdwatch special. 

The weather during the afternoon was overcast with some heavy downpours, and the forecast looked a bit iffy for the duration. But in reality except for a couple of spots of rain as we left Seaton Station, everything including the weather was just so kind to us.  The wind dropped to almost nothing and the rain and clouds soon cleared revealing a magical soft golden light across the valley...

The birds were just as kind to us, and I'll start with the punters favourite as always, Kingfisher.  We had four sightings of probably two birds, with one sitting in full view for several minutes which left smiles on everyone's faces.  The hunting Barn Owl that remained in view for about ten minutes was also a firm favourite, this also posed well for the tram full...

Barn Owl

On the other side of the Estuary, one of the lingering juvenile Marsh Harriers hunted over the reed beds before landing distantly in a field opposite...

For the whole journey, low-flying Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins and (a surprisingly high number of) Swifts showed really well as they fed low on flying insects. Whilst on the subject of passerines, three Wheatears showed well around Sheep's Marsh...

Wheatear - I just love the pale-edged black primaries

What was really special for me was the variety and numbers of wading birds on show.  At the top end of the trip where we turn around by Colyford scrape, as if three Green Sandpipers, a young Turnstone, a Dunlin and 11 Ringed Plovers weren't enough - a Wood Sandpiper took off from the small pools north of the scrape and flew south, calling all the way.

Adult Ringed Plover left and juvenile Turnstone right

Green Sandpiper

Thankfully on the return journey the Wood Sandpiper showed better, unusually feeding on the Estuary with a group of Redshank...

Look at the size difference - juv Wood Sandpiper flanked by two Redshank

Black Hole Marsh showed good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlin plus a close Greenshank, with the Estuary giving another three Greenshank, a further three Turnstone (four is a cracking good count for us!), two Whimbrel, a heap more Black-tailed Godwits and at the very least 14 Common Sandpipers.  

Next year I'm going to try and arrange a few more Birdwatch tram trips for autumn, particularly August and September.  Seeing large numbers of wildfowl during the winter is always good, but nothing quite beats the variety, quantity and almost endless possibilities that can be seen during a trip in one of these months.