Part-time Birding: Northern Pintail

Showing posts with label Northern Pintail. Show all posts

Ruff

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon

I visited the hide over the morning high tide. As I turned up I was advised there had just been a Little Gull reported off the goat walk. So I popped along but there was no sign. At the hide, the highlights were 3 Ruff, 1 Common Snipe and circa 20 Common Greenshank. A good number of Dunlin were on offer to scrutinise a single Stock Dove popped in and a few Northern Pintail andBar-tailed Godwit were dotted about.

Common Snipe

First Sand Martins And Western Cattle Egret

Exminster Marsh, Devon
A quick look from the viewing platform first thing for yesterday’s reported female Red-crested Pochard was unsuccessful. However, I was pleased to see my first Sand Martin of the year. Around 4 birds were going over the canal from the estuary to the marsh and back. The best of the wildfowl on the lagoon were 2 Nothern Pintail, several Gadwall and several Tufted Duck. The Snow Goose was in exactly the same place I saw it a week ago in the field near the Swans Nest.

Cockwood, Devon
After work, I decided to look for the 4 Western Cattle Egret reported on Twitter by local birder Dave Boult. They were apparently in a field at the rear of Cofton garage. The garage is just off the main Dawlish Road just past Cockwood (opposite the entrance to Cofton holiday park). I couldn’t locate any in the field but after a very brief search I located them with some Little Egret in a tree near the rear of the garage. I didn’t have my scope (left it in the car) but I could clearly make out 2 birds but I suspect that the others were there too.

I moved on to have a look off the railway steps in the hope of seeing Sanderling. Strangely a species I’ve not yet seen this year. No luck with the Sanderling but there were a few Mew Gull and the Horned Grebe. In the blight was a single Common Greenshank and towards Starcross, a small flock of Dunlin.

A Couple Of Bits Ands Bobs

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
My first day back in the office after a lengthy time working from home was a shock to the system, so I decided to have an early finish. I headed for Bowling Green Marsh in case the reported Gloosy Ibis had dropped in on the main lagoon but I was unsuccessful. There were 2 Pied Avocet on the furthest island. A sleeping Common Pochard with the also sleepy Tufted Ducks. A few Northern Pintail were dotted about too. From the viewing platform were more Pied Avocet and good numbers of Dunlin. 2 Mistle Thrush were in the field on the approach to the platform. A quick look from Goosemoor produced 10 Common Greenshank, surpringly my first of the year!

Black Redstart And Caspian Gull

Exmouth Leisure Centre, Exmouth, Devon
I had a quick look this morning to see if anything tasty was sheltering from the storm. There were a group of Ruddy Turnstone on the shoreline, 6 close in Great Crested Grebe and high numbers of Brant Goose and Eurasian Wigeon. I was unable to photograph everything as the heavens opened and I got totally drenched in just a few seconds. To the point that I needed to pop home and change before setting off to work. I even had to put a bin bag on my car seat to stop my fresh clothes from getting wet. The joys of birding!

Ruddy Turnstone

Shelley Beach, Exmouth, Devon
After work I popped along to see if any of the Black Redstarts were about. On arrival a female was showing rather well. I was setting up to take a photo when I got a text from Matt Knott about a Caspian Gull On Mudbank. So I quickly headed back to the car.

Mudbank Lane, Exmouth, Devon
On arrival Matt has already moved on so I scanned the area. No sign of the Caspian Gull and in fact there were very few large Gulls about. Despite this, I decided to hang about and scan the masses of Wildfowl. In amongst the Brant Goose and Eurasian Wigeon good numbers of Northern Pintail were noted. A few Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone and Common Redshank were around the shore. After about 20 minutes, a few large Gulls dropped on the water. I scanned them all and in typical fashion, the last one was the Caspian Gull. None of them hung around long enough for a photo and they headed off to what was left of the sandbar near Starcross. Light was awful by this point so I couldn’t pick it out. Another nice find by Matt and I came away pleased with my ever so brief views.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Mudbank Lane, Exmouth, Devon
A quick look after work. The tide was out and everything was up Estuary, so I walked up the railway footpath to view. Really high numbers of Eurasian Wigeoan and Brant Goose (a couple of which were Pale-bellied). I’m still looking out for a Black Brant and I still can’t seem to catch up with a Red-Crested Pochard. Good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit and Northern Pintail but nothing else of real note. On arrival though I was treated to a stunning rainbow.

Stunning Rainbow

Little Stint And A Weird Wigeon

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
After work I decided to pop to the hide and see what was going on. As I arrived I checked my phone which had been on silent due to me just coming out of a meeting. On checking I noted the report earlier on of a Little Stint. Sure enough I got on to the bird as soon as I set up my scope. It showed rather nicely whilst I was there but as ever I struggled to get a decent photo. Also of note were several Northern Pintail although I expect there were more in amongst a mass of sleeping birds. 2 Stock Dove showed rather close to the hide too. There are now good numbers of wildfowl on site so I checked for anything unusual. I was hoping that Matt Knott’s Red-crested Pochard may be in the mix but there was no luck there. One of the Wigeon though gave off some signs of American. The bird was I think a Female. It was sleeping all the time I was on site but I got glimpses of a grey head rather than the usual brown. Even if the bird was a juvenile, I would expect a rusty colour to show through. I didnt manage to get a photo worthy of even scrutinising. I may be barking up the wrong tree and light may have been playing tricks wih me so I will try to have another look tomorrow. As ever, some really awful photos!!

Little Stint

Ltitle Stint

Stock Dove

Wildfowl Numbers Are On The Up

Mudbank Lane, Exmouth, Devon
I havent been here for a few weeks so I decided to have a quick look after work. Eurasian Wigeon Numbers were very high with my best guess being around 900 plus birds. Around 30 Black-tailed Godwit, 25 Northern Pintail and nice to see the Brant Goose numbers rising with a few hundred birds on site.

Well I’m off to hopefully see the Brown Shrike in Cornwall tomorrow. It has so far answered my prayers and stuck around. Just one more day please!!

Eurasian Whimbrel And Common House Martin

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
I had to visit to the marsh today. This morning produced 2 year ticks. From the hide was a lovely Eurasian Whimbrel, from the road going from the hide to the viewing platform gate was a Male Eurasian Blackcap and on the path to the viewing platform a Female Eurasian Blackcap. There wasn’t much else from the hide except a pair of Northern Pintail and a pair of Gadwall and from the platform a Common Greenshank. Of note off the Goat Walk though was a single Pied Avocet and a flock of around 100 European Golden Plover. No Osprey, that I had hoped for.

This afternoons visit was only a quick one to the hide and I got my first Common House Martin fly through with a few Sand Martin and a few Barn Swallow lingered. Again not much else of note.

Whimbrel

European Golden Plover

Common Greenshank

Eurasian Curlew

Spoonbill But No Goose

Exminster Marsh, Exminster, Devon
I had two visits today before and after work. I was hoping to see the Greater White-fronted Goose. Plenty of Canada Goose on show but I had no joy with the target Goose. The Eurasian Spoonbill was on view in the centre of the marsh on both visits but I couldn’t get a decent picture. A few Northern Pintail and Gadwall were the only note worthy birds.

Pied Avocet

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
I took my 9 year old daughter for a walk this afternoon. I was hoping that yesterday’s Little Ringed Plover would still be hanging about. Well if it was I didn’t see it. My daughter is actually really getting into birding more and more as she gets older. So she was pleased to see her first Pied Avocet, Northern Pintail and Common Greenshank.

Pied Avocet

Northern Pintail (Female)

Eurasian Wigeon (Female)

Common Greenshank

Corn Bunting And Spotted Redshank

Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
I had a look in the dung heap area of Gore Lane first this this morning and quickly got on to the Corn Bunting as it sat at close range on the hedge. After I had filled my boots with the great views I had a quick look around the site but there was nothing else of real note but had one last look at the dung heap before leaving and managed a White Wagtail.

Corn Bunting

White Wagtail

Otter Estuary, Budleigh Salterton, Devon
After work I had a little stroll along the path from the white bridge to the scrape. On the Estuary was a single Mew Gull in amongst the small Gull flock and I had the briefest of views of the Spotted Redshank. It was so brief that it appeared in my scope view whilst I watch looking through the Gulls. I didn’t have enough time to take any pictures though. The only other birds of note were 3 Northern Pintail and 2 Common Snipe.

Common Redshank

Mew Gull

Northern Lapwing

Common Shelduck (Male and Female)

Ruff And Stuff

Bowling Green Marsh, Devon
A quick visit to see if the 2 Ruff were still around and my luck was in. They were either very active or obscured from view but did manage a record photo. Also of note was a Male Common Pochard, several Nothern Pintail, 3 Common Greenshank and 2 Little Grebe. Plenty of Northern Shoveler and Eurasian Teal, several Gadwall, 1 Greylag Goose, a few Tufted Duck, Black-tailed Godwit and Common Redshank.