Two More Geese and a Glauc

The last day of March offered the Axe even more wildfowl variety, with two new geese for the year. 

This morning Ian Mc found a Greylag on Bridge Marsh, which remained in the valley all day. Late March/early April often sees a spike in Greylag records for us, suggesting it must be some sort of spring passage, although from where to where who knows...

Greylag Goose standing proud

Then this evening Tim Wright located a Barnacle Goose, the same one that Dave Helliar has seen recently in the Chard area...

Barnie!

As Barnacle Geese go, well let's just say it's not the best. This bird shows surprisingly grey flanks and belly, some brown in the black of the neck and breast, and a bit more white than usual in the head area. Nevertheless I still think it's a pure bird, just a grubby first-winter individual probably of 'suspect' origin. 

Yesterday, as you'll have probably already seen from other local blogs, Ian Mc scored his fourth white-winged gull of the year on the Axe. Thankfully this one I actually managed to see, a stonking first-winter Glaucous Gull. A proper massive and fairly dark one too - the best type :-)

As we reach to the conclusion of March 2018, some may find it interesting to know that thanks to two cold snaps, a decent flurry of early spring migrants, 11 species of gull and the whole host of wildfowl that we've seen, 136 species of bird have been recorded on the Axe Patch this month.  Pity the sea wasn't busier as that could easily have added another five or more.

Wheatear

Delighted to finally see my first Wheatear of the year today, a lovely male in the fields south of Seaton Marshes just after midday.  A pretty average date for my first, but it feels late as they have been turning up along the south coast for a good week or so.  Sadly no pics as it remained distant, but this didn't limit the joy watching it gave me. Always such a turning point in the birding year.

This was my second PWC year tick of the day, thanks to a Greylag Goose that has spent the day in the valley.  March is by far our peak month for Greylags here, so it's another semi-expected but much appreciated early spring year tick...

Spot the odd one out!

Other bits and bobs from me today include 15 Sand Martins over Colyford Marsh, a second-summer Mediterranean Gull with 65+ Common Gulls on the Estuary at dusk and at least six Cattle Egrets again in the egret roost at Seaton Marshes. 

I did say I would post details here about the colour-ringed Avocet on Black Hole Marsh when I heard back from the BTO, and I have heard back. Sadly since its initial ringing as a chick on 23/6/16 at Greenabella Marsh, Graythorpe, Hartlepool, it's not been re-sighted. Well until it dropped in at Black Hole Marsh on Saturday morning!

Whilst on the subject of colour-rings, a Crane that was seen briefly on Colyford Marsh on 7/3/17 by good friend of mine Jean, looks like it was probably the same Crane that was at Titchfield Haven in Hampshire five days earlier.  Named 'Excalibird' I believe. Interesting name...