Honey Buzzard and Brown Hairstreak

Considering I haven't properly been out birding today, as the post title implies it's not been too shabby at all...

I was travelling from a to b this morning with Harry in the back of the car when I figured I had time for a five minute scan over the valley from the Axmouth farm gate (if the patience of the back seat passenger allowed it!). Almost immediately I picked up a super high flying raptor circling over Colyford Marsh and it just didn't look 'right'.  It was at that point much to my frustration I realised my telescope wasn't in the car, so all I could do was watch it in my bins some more before grabbing my trusty P900. The bird was always gaining height, and I managed to get one pic before it got so high the camera would no longer focus on it.  About thirty seconds later it began a determined-looking glide heading off purposely south west.

I'd seen enough with my bins to put out news of a 'possible Honey Buzzard' to my fellow patch birders, but it wasn't until about two hours ago that I downloaded the photo onto my laptop...

Uncropped

Same snap but heavily cropped!

And there it is - a dark juv Honey Buzzard!  Note the long and broad tail with 2 or 3 narrow but distinct black bars, the narrow base to wings with dark bulging secondaries, black carpal patch, solidly dark brown underparts and a nice yellow bill!  Although it's a fresh juv it seems to have a damaged or missing inner primary on its left wing.

I've been fairly lucky with patch Honey Buzzard's as this represents my third, although the last one was way back on 24th Sept 2008!  Amazingly I saw the 2008 bird from exactly the same spot as today's, and that was also a lone dark juv - although thankfully flying much lower in the sky!  2008 was a proper influx year with large numbers noted in September, although most of them staying well east of us. 

2019 really is proving the year of raptors on the Axe with long-saying Osprey and Marsh Harrier, the Goshawk last month and now this! Hopefully a nice Pallid Harrier is just around the corner to finish the year off in style...

To complete my bird news for today, I had a Wheatear land on the roof next to Mum and Dad's house.  When you see a wacky thing like this you know it's a good day for migration! Plenty of Meadow Pipits flying over whenever I was outside too.

And now for the Brown Hairstreak - a first for me and following the Long-tailed Blues another butterfly first on patch!  Exactly a week ago Pam Parsons photographed a Brown Hairstreak on Colyford Common (tweeted HERE) - been only one or two patch records of this species in the last five years.  So whilst I was down the wetlands with Harry and Jess this afternoon, I left them behind for ten minutes to check the general area Pam photographed it.  As it was a whole week ago and probably involved just one insect, I really wasn't expecting anything.

I was wrong to be so pessimistic...

The first view I got - a female Brown Hairstreak!

I can only really describe the orange as 'Gatekeeper-orange'

And what an underwing!

I watched her for about five minutes, egg laying on a blackthorn just to the left of the lower entrance gate to Colyford Common.  If anyone is interested in looking for her, she spent the whole time on the lower left hand side of this bush...

Surely the very same insect!?

I've heard many people saying how hard these are to get good views of - so I was well and truly spoilt today.  A larger butterfly than I was expecting, although if it were fluttering around the top of a tall ash tree am sure it would look far smaller!  Thanks Pam for tweeting the original picture out a week ago.

Today was a nice reminder of how lucky I am to live where I do. From my house I can walk to the Brown Hairstreak bush within ten minutes, and I probably could have scoped the Honey Buzzard from my back garden! 

Patch Update

This won't take long. Well it can't to be honest as I've got to go....

Our first Little Stint of the autumn appeared mid morning today on Black Hole Marsh, found by Clive (it wasn't there at 9am!). Also present two Ruff (a second juvenile joined the lingering bird yesterday morning - present at first on Colyford Marsh but now both are on Black Hole), the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper (for its fourth day) along with small numbers of Greenshank, Green and Common Sandpipers, 26 Dunlin and seven Ringed Plover.  The Spotted Redshank wasn't on Colyford Scrape this morning, but this is where it has been most days.

Here's some (poor) pics of the star birds...

Juvenile Little Stint - it remained distant but no doubting this one!

Dreadful pic of the juv Curlew Sandpiper

Ruff number one

Ruff number two - with a Snipe in the early morning sun on Colyford Marsh. Why wasn't it a Buff-breast!?

Juvenile Spotted Redshank

And that's that.  I'll leave you with the view from Colyford Common hide early yesterday, the sun rising over the Axe Valley on a lovely mid September morning...

Water = Waders!

Yes lots of water about the patch today - it really did tip down during the night.  As a result, and despite other things going on in my life at the moment, I was keen to get out and check it all.

My original idea was for a vigil from the Tower Hide at Black Hole Marsh, but this was almost immediately foiled. I knew I should have put my wellies in the boot...

The path to tower hide - and this was at low tide!

Black Hole Marsh was very quiet, I didn't see a single wader on it.  Although a Green Sand and two Dunlin did fly over it - both heading north. 

Next stop was the Axmouth FC scrape - of Long-billed Dowitcher fame!  A nice juv Curlew Sand was a surprise here, and looked very out of place, with a Ruff, 21 Wigeon and a Yellow Wagtail also present.  

I had then hoped for a look over Bridge Marsh, but the A3052 was closed due to a diesel spill and multiple accidents, so I headed for the Farm Gate.  From here, on the Estuary were 51 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Knot, and on Colyford scrape two Wood Sandpipers (first found yesterday) and a Greenshank.  My last action of the morning was a walk along Seaton Beach, which gave just a single Ringed Plover.

This afternoon, at about half two once I had heard the A3052 was now open, I headed back out.  A quick check at Black Hole Marsh showed a Little Stint (relocated by my old man an hour or two earlier), and then I headed for Bridge Marsh.  One of the Wood Sands was now here, and what I thought was going to prove to be the earlier Axmouth FC Ruff - was actually a second bird.

Axmouth FC scrape showed the Ruff still (this one is a big male), and also a Bar-tailed Godwit and drake Gadwall.  It was then back to the Farm Gate.  

Scoping across to the Colyford scrape I was a bit taken aback when this flew through my field of view...

 

Juv Marsh Harrier Colyford Marsh

It was great to watch this gorgeous juv Marsh Harrier hunting over the marsh, at first alone, but soon joined by Karen.  It disappeared into the reeds just before I left, although I have heard it's been seen again.

And now I'm back home!  So although I didn't turn up the rare wader I was hoping for, I have seen 16 species of wader on patch today (a high total for here!) - let's hope it is tomorrow that I find species number 17! And that it's a good one!

Peace And Tranquility Shattered

With a new moon last night, and a morning high tide, I thought a wander around the marshes this morning would be a good idea with wading birds on the forefront of my mind. Well, someones got to find the Axe's first Marsh Sandpiper :-)

One of the pros of going down to Black Hole Marsh/Colyford Common early is that you are often alone, and when I arrived the car park was empty. So as you can image, my wander around was nice and peaceful. Well it was until this happened...

Note the shape below the flying Curlews!

It was an adult Osprey, and so great to see too, though I guess it could well be a failed breeder - so not so great for the Osprey! I was fortunate to watch it for about ten minutes hunting over the upper Estuary until about 08:55 when it caught a fish (albeit a small one!) and flew north towards Musbury/Whitford. I'm sure it will be back, if it hasn't already returned for more food.

Sorry for the shoddy photos - still you can see what it is!

The wader totals were actually very disappointing, no Dunlin at all, and only eight Common Sands, two Green Sands, three Blackwits and a Whimbrel...

The Blackwits

A Water Rail was very vocal on Colyford Marsh somewhere (they can't have had any breeding success this year with all the floods), and the gulls offered some interest. Amongst the 280+ Black-headed Gulls on Black Hole Marsh were three Med Gulls. This adult...

Well on it's way to winter plumage

And two first-summers, including this colour-ringed bird...

'E325' - I have emailed off the details

So although poor for what I was hoping, I still had a very enjoyable few hours out. Especially when considering the date!

More Spring Goodies

Whilst at work last night, a White Stork was serenading birders at Colyford Common... gripping!

So this morning, I was out early and very pleased to see it was still with us beside the scrape at Colyford Marsh. A little while later I photographed it from Colyford Common hide...

my third patch White Stork

At about 09:20 it was seen to take off, and fly off north west...

Another bonus this morning was a cracking Wood Sandpiper on Colyford Common. It spent about five minutes on 'the wet patch' (viewable from the Field Studies Base), and even began singing (something I've never seen or heard before!). I didn't take any photos of it as the light was awful - though just as I was thinking about getting my Lumix out for a record shot, it took off and flew north calling...

Rare Herons On Patch

As per usual, sorry about the lack of updates of late!! I have got quite a lot to write about really, but as I'm short of time tonight, I'll just mention the two bits of BIG bird news from the past week...

Tonight, as I was slaving over my laptop, Phil phoned with the EXCELLENT news that he had very unselfishly unblocked one of his long-standing patch blockers! Phil's already seen two Purple Herons on patch, tonight he found his third from Colyford Common hide sat out in full view on Colyford Marsh at about 18:45.

I scoped it from the main road between Axmouth and Boshill (for safety!), then headed round to Colyford Common hide..... WHAT A BIRD! Not only a patch tick - but a UK tick too...

If you enlarge any of the above photos, enlarge the lower one and check out the size of its bill!!

Not only was the light perfect, and the plumage of the bird tip top, but the views were just fantastic! It sat out in full view for the entire time - I reckon it was a bit knackered after its flight from wherever it has come from.

At about 19:15 it started to shuffle about a bit and look more lively - then just after 19:20 it took to the air and began flying up and south in huge circles...

Check out its stunning russet underwing!

And here's a video of it flying up, away and off....

It was last seen heading off east

Thanks Phil - cracking bird!!!

Okay, now for the other bit of big bird news from last week....

Mid afternoon on Tuesday 19th, Dad phoned - he had a summer plumaged Great White Egret on Seaton Marshes! Twenty minutes later...

What a bird!

This is only the second Great White Egret I have ever seen on patch - and this is the first I have ever seen in breeding plumage; stunning BRIGHT GREEN lores, almost complete all black bill, pink legs and long white plumes..... wow!!!

An Afternoon Tour Of The Marshes

Had a wander around Blackhole, Stafford and Colyford Marshes this afternoon - no sign of the two Wood Sands seen here last night and this morning. I did see a few bits though...

Ringed Plover numbers doubled whilst I was there, as a flock of 15 flew in from the west (making a total of at least 31). Dunlin numbers remain similar and the two Little Stints also remain. The juvenile came a little closer for me today, it's just a pity the wind was blowing my scope all over the place...

Corking little thing

A Ruff was nice to see - my second of the 'autumn' - and this is an awful flight shot of it...

I said it was awful!

Also on Blackhole three Blackwits and a few Common Sands. Colyford Common gave four Wheatear and a Greenshank, and Colyford Marsh showed four more Greenshank (with the fifth bird joining them from Colyford Common). Also a single Lapwing by the main scrape.

Earlier in the day, a sweep of the Estuary showed the Red-crested Pochard still with us...

Hanging out with two WILD Mallards! :-)

Have got a busy three days coming up, but may be able to get out birding for at least a small part of tomorrow and Saturday. I'll finish this post with this photo...

Little Egret taken with the Lumix