Drake Garganey and Red Kite

Well that's birding for you! In March this year I saw my first spring drake Garganey on patch for a whopping (and surprising) eight years. This evening I saw another...

Many thanks to Tim Wright who found this bird earlier in the day. I didn't get round to seeing it until late on when the sun was setting, the light was fading as I was watching it so my pics aren't great at all, especially colour-wise...

And here's a short video...

It was really amazing to hear it call as well, several times. Not a sound I've ever heard on the Axe Estuary before. Just brilliant and so atmospheric!

Not really a surprise considering the weather we are currently enjoying, but I had a Red Kite fly low west over the house just after 9am today. There were two reported on patch yesterday too, so no doubt I'll be seeing a few more over the forthcoming days...

Garganey and Egyptian Goose

I ended my last post saying how good last week had been for wildfowl on the Axe, well this week it got even better!

This morning an Egyptian Goose plodding around on Bridge Marsh with the Mute Swans was a nice surprise. Although I had a couple fly through the patch last spring, we haven't had a settled bird for quite a few years now...

"I want to be a Swan!"

Then this afternoon, a pair of Garganey graced the valley and I was delighted to catch up with them on Axe Marsh from Norcombe's Gateway early afternoon...

Absolute beauts. A drake Garganey is without doubt my favourite dabbling duck of all time, and sits in my top five of ducks (Smew, Eider, Scaup and Long-tailed Duck - all drakes - the others). But don't underestimate the female, with those gorgeous head stripes and almost russet breast.

Although the Axe is a south coast Estuary with plenty of pools, ditches and marshes, we do surprisingly badly for Garganey. They just never seem to stick. Even these two during the course of the afternoon were flying around all over the place, and even spent half an hour or so towards dusk just sat on the water on the lower Estuary! No doubt they will be gone by the morning. I was so thrilled to see them as I've not seen a spring drake here since March 2010, I've missed four since! My last Garganey on the Axe was a surprise juvenile on the late date of 18th Oct 2013.

Many thanks to Mr White for finding these, and Dad for tracking them to where I managed to see them.

March has been quite good for us, I wonder if there's another surprise or two before the month is out?

A Trio Of Ticks

After a post moaning about the lack of patch year ticks - along come three!

Rewinding back to Friday, and I was just having a bite to eat before work when Fraser (our reserves warden) phoned.  He could hear Bearded Tits calling from the reeds on Stafford Marsh, and whilst on the phone saw four fly out and head for Black Hole Marsh. I was out the door and down the reserve in moments - and moments later the calls of Bearded Tits could be heard from the platform.  A minute or two later along came a tram and up went the Bearded Tits, all four, although they soon dropped straight back into the reeds. Another minute or two later and up they went again, but this time stayed low and flew over Black Hole Marsh, and east over the tram line.

Bearded Tit really is a rare bird, these were only my second ever, with my first being equally brief. Many thanks Frase for this unexpected year tick.

With all the wind and rain, I had high hopes for today. And with the sea being quiet in recent days I decided to spend my morning in the valley. The weather meant Colyford hide was the most obvious choice - from here you get a good view over the flood water on Colyford Marsh and Colyford Common.

Flood!

My most painful dips this year have been with Garganey - I managed to miss three spring birds.  I thought I'd missed my chance with this species to be honest, but on Sunday noticed a few new birds had been reported in the UK. And guess what was with the first flock of Teal I looked at this morning...

At the back in front of that Lapwing

... a Garganey! My latest ever too. I can't tell you how happy I was to see this - and it instantly made looking through hundreds and hundreds of Teal this autumn worthwhile!

I spent another hour in the hide, and there were superb numbers of birds about (particularly ducks and gulls), but I couldn't find anything else better than an adult and first-winter Med Gull. Or maybe I did...

I picked up a darkish mantled gull in a distant and very large flock of mostly Great Black-backed Gulls. I thought it was going to be a Yellow-legged, but then it showed its legs, they looked pale pink!? It had a clean white head and looked otherwise ok for this species. Then the sodding thing turned and showed its head and bill in profile - it was at this point the shakes came over me as it looked a lot like an adult Caspian Gull!!! Stupidly the only camera I had was on my phone, so I got a few very poor pics this way, but when I put my eye back to the scope it wasn't there. And that's where this story ends, as I never saw it again. So gutted.  Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the 'best' pic...

Anyone care to comment?

I said early in this post how poor the sea has been, and it really has been. I don't just mean here, look at Portland Bird Obs website. We've had gale force southerly winds, with low after low coming through - but the totals have been pathetic! Where are the Sooties and Grey Phals?  Mid afternoon I thought I would give the sea another chance though - so headed down to the Spot On...

...and it was rubbish!  There was quite literally nothing passing, and after twenty minutes I decided to give up. Wandering back to the car, one last glance at the sea with my naked eyes gave me the shock of the year - SABINE'S GULL!!!  A juv Sabine's Gull was just there, flying west close in, its distinctive wing pattern immediately obvious. I grabbed a few record shots, but pleasingly it stopped flying west and joined some feeding Black-headed Gulls. I got the news out, then legged it down to the shore to take some more pics...

I know not everyone likes gulls - but come on...

 And here's a quick (and rubbish) video...

It stayed here for about ten minutes, then drifted further out and sat on the sea. A few minutes later it took off and flew west - and we last saw it about five minutes later towards Seaton Hole. Stunning, stonking, beautiful, elegant, buoyant.... I could go on and on. WHAT A BIRD!!! Look how dark the head is, the delicately forked tail with the black band, and don't get me started on that wing pattern....

Isn't it funny how one last glance at the sea turned this sea watch from dire to incredible. If I had walked back to my car the other way (the shorter way!) I simply wouldn't have seen it, and this Sab's would have been loitering out here without any of us knowing!  This was my second Sabine's here, and quite similar to my first - stupidly close in, and there was nothing else moving over the sea.

After this excitement I had another look up the valley. The Estuary was empty, but from the farm gate I was pleased to see lots of large gulls.  Sadly my Caspian-ish thing wasn't in amongst them, but two lovely adult Yellow-legged Gulls were. I then noticed a few gulls were starting to gather on the Estuary right in front of the Tower Hide, and in amongst them was yet another Yellow-legged Gull, this one a first-winter. Even at the distance it was, still very distinctive and proved its ID nicely by flying up and down a few times.  Later Gav and Tim saw this bird and took some great photos (click on their names to see the pics).  Also from the farm gate were six Ruff with the Lapwing.

What a day!!!

 

A Quick Update

Well we are in to April now, and to see how my year list stands see HERE.

Yesterday Grey Plover was added to it, thanks to a text from Gav. This is another one of those species that you should get, but as we never get many, in theory there is no reason why we couldn't go a year without one.

Also yesterday, when I walked out my front door early morning to head off to work, a Black Redstart greeted me - what a house tick! It was feeding on the neighbours front lawn, then flew up and perched on their out door lamp. What a fine start to the day.

Friday wasn't so fine, as I missed a bit that is firmly on my 'Most Worrying Gaps on my Year List' list. Early afternoon Tim had brief flight views of a drake Garganey from the the farm gate, but there was no further sign for several hours. Well, that was until 4 minutes AFTER I started work. From then on it showed sporadically from the Axmouth - Bosshill Cross road. Garganey is a rare bird on patch, they are a lot lot rarer than they should be. And when we do get them they never seem to stay long . I gave it an hour the following morning and saw 18+ Little Ringed Plovers (including eight opposite Axmouth FC - they were dotted about all over the place) and several Sand Martins, but no Garganey.  Having a couple of records in one spring isn't out of the question though, so I do remain hopeful. 

Personally I think it is about time Bluethroat made it on to our Patch List. But where do you start looking....

No Seawatching For Me

This week has seen two outstanding days of sea watching, for Devon and the patch. Gavin has been present when most of the stuff has flown past, so read his accounts of the sea watching antics HERE. Monday was the best day, and I only had chance for an hour out so headed down to Black Hole Marsh. Wednesday was the next best day, but I had a meeting in mid Devon from 10am so had no time for sea watching at all! Typical isn't it - if only Tuesday and Thursday were the two wet and windy days then I would have seen lots!

The numbers of Long-tailed Skuas have been the biggest surprise, with the patch scoring three this week. Again, Gav has a good write up of this on his blog, and although I missed all of these, I am more than happy with the two I've seen over the years. Actually, out of all the rare/scarce birds I've seen on patch, the adult Long-tailed Skua that graced the sea over Seaton Bay back in May 2006 for some reason has stuck in my head more than anything. I can still picture it now, and recall the exact chain of events and the expletives that were uttered! What a beaut.

Ok, so what have I seen this week...

My hour out on Monday at Black Hole Marsh did prove worthwhile, as a juv-type Garganey appeared in the middle of the lagoon amongst 60 or so Teal. As soon as I found it I sent some texts out as this species is a bit of a patch rarity, but before all the texts had sent, one bird out of all the c300 birds on Black Hole Marsh took off and flew low north...the bloody Garganey! Sodding typical. The in flight views though showed it was a male.

Also on the marsh was; 43 Blackwits, 42 Dunlin, 24 Ringed Plover, ten Green Sands, eight Common Sands, three Lapwing and the Spotted Redshank and Tufted Duck still.

On Tuesday I had a whizz round many parts of the patch, including Colyford Common and Marsh, the Estuary, the flood opposite Axmouth FC and Black Hole Marsh. This revealed a decent selection of birds - excellent for the Axe to be honest; three Lapwing, 26 Ringed Plover, one Knot, 44 Dunlin, four Snipe, c25 Black-tailed Godwit, nine Common Sands, 14 Green Sands, one Spotted Redshank, three Ruff, one Turnstone and a Kittiwake!

The Kittiwake didn't look well at all, and is still present today so it isn't looking good for it...

It doesn't look too bad in this pic though

On Wednesday morning, before I headed off for my meeting I had chance for a quick look over Black Hole Marsh. One of the first birds I saw after I got in the hide was a small stint with the Dunlin and Ringed Plover over in the 'Solitary Sand corner' of the marsh. It was soaked wet (there was very heavy rain) and remained distant and I had to leave for my meeting.I had to leave it as a 98% Little Stint!

Whilst away, it was confirmed, so on my return at 14:00 I quickly dropped in for another look. It was closer, but the weather was still dull and awful...

..hence this crap photo!

Again there was a good number of birds on the marsh including two Turnstone, and the Ruff and Knot still.

And that brings me to today. I was down Black Hole Marsh early again (yes, I am determined to get Spotted Crake on my patch list!)...

Very tranquil compared with yesterday!

There was a bit less variety on the marsh, but the Little Stint and three Ruff were still present, and a few more Blackwits present - 44. Still no Spotted Crake though!

Later on in the morning, a quick look around other sites in the river turned up the Garganey again. It was on flood water opposite Axmouth FC along with a load of Mallard and c20 Teal. It could be quite elusive at times in the long grass, but I'm pleased to say at least three other birders managed to twitch it successfully.

And to complete this post, on 7th August I saw two colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gulls from the tower hide. One was 0.AA8, and the other L:AP8...

Looking suitably monstrous - I do love Great Black-backs!

Well I've just heard back from Bruce Taggart - and it wasn't a channel-hopper as they usually are. This bird was ringed on Looe Island, Cornwall, as a pulli on 25/6/11. This is the first sighting of L:AP8 away from Looe.