Part-time Birding: Sand Martin

Showing posts with label Sand Martin. Show all posts

Black Kite and Red Kite

Ottery St Mary, Devon

I had to pop to Sainsbury's to pick up a few bits early evening but I couldn't resist a 30 or so minutes blip around the River Otter south of St Saviours Bridge. I was first treated to a Cetti's Warbler literally by the Bridge. I walked over the footbridge and through the first gate. All the while hoping for a Common Whitethroat as I did have one stop off here this time last last year.

No sooner had I walked through the gate, I picked up a raptor through the trees to my right. It was obscured but I got Red Kite vibes. Boy, was I wrong. The bird came reasonably low over the treeline and I had one of those heart stopping moments as I realised I was tracking a Black Kite. It veered on and off over the treeline heading rather quickly south. I got the news out straight away in the hope someone further south could get on to it.

10 minutes or so later I picked up a Kite that was heading north. I hoped that it was the the Black Kite doing a u turn but this time I was on to a Red Kite. I got the news out again and did manage to get another local birder on to the bird as it drifted over his house. I'm still in awe at having a two Kite day in such a short period.

Also on site, were numerous Sand Martin, Common House Martin, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Treecreeper and Grey Wagtail.

I went shopping with a real spring in my step and forgot all about the fact I didn't see a Common Whitethroat!

Sand Martins

Ottery St Mary, Devon

I took a walk along the river Otter this evening. I started at St Saviours Bridge and headed south for a mile or do and back. I was first treated to a few Sand Martins pottering about. These were accompanied by several Barn Swallow and Common House Martins making thier way north. There were a few Eurasian Blackcap and Common Chiffchaff singing. The one bird that entertained me the most though was a Great Spotted Woodpecker that was completing a nest hole.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Mandarin Duck

Cadhay Bridge, Ottery St Mary, Devon

I had a wander around the bridge area mid afternoon and the first bird I heard was a Common Kingfisher and within seconds I had nice views before it Spotted me and flew off down river. Oddly, my first sightings this year. Also around the Bridge were a few Sand Martin and a Little Egret. Near the entrance to the wooded area was a busy Southern Migrant Hawker and in the wooded area were Eurasian Treecreeper and Eurasian Nuthatch.

Gosford Bridge, Ottery St Mary, Devon

I moved on to this area and made my way north. Last year I saw Mandarin Duck at this location and after a patient wait they are still there. Also more Sand Martin and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull. Not a Common sight here.

Lesser Whitethroat

River Otter, Ottery St Mary, Devon

I took walk along west side of the river Otter, south of St Saviours Bridge this evening. 1 Cetti's Warbler, 10 Sand Martin collecting nesting materials and landing giving great views. I spent 10 minutes having awesome views of a White-throated Dipper. 1 Common Whitethroat put in a brief appearance as did a Lesser Whitethroat.

Sand Martin

White-throated Dipper

Summer Migrants

Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
I checked the dung field and immediate area very quickly first thing but it was rather misty and there wasn't much about apart from a few Willow Warbler.

Exminster Marsh, Devon
As the roads are quiet due to half term, the lure of yesterdays Garganey got the better of me so I popped here before heading to the office. I walked from the middle car park to the fisherman's car park and back. The first bird of note was a singing Sedge Warbler that also showed itself briefly at close range. This was followed by cracking views of a Cetti's Warbler. Near the fisherman's car park were 2 Barnacle Goose, a Eurasuan Whimbrel in among the Eurasian Curlew and a Male Common Reed Bunting but alas, no Garganey. As I arrived back at the middle car park, a number of Sand Martins were feeding and a single Common House Martin was in amongst them.

Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
I went for another look around after work and was rewarded with a Male Northern Wheatear along the coastal path. A few Willow Warbler were dotted about but I was surprised to see a Red-legged Partridge whilst checking out the dung field before leaving. It was sat on the fence to the left of the field but dropped down into the old dung field to quickly for a photo. I checked the other field without success. Also a few Barn Swallow were pottering about.

Little Ringed Plover

Powderham Marsh, Devon
After work I had a walk to the viewpoint as I was informed over the weekend by Rob and Steph Murphy that there were 3 Little Ringed Plover on the marsh. I wasn’t able to get out over the weekend so I was itching to have a look for them. As I walked to the viewpoint, the Snow Goose flew over and settled in its current favoured field near the Swans Nest Inn. Small flocks of Common Linnet, Common Chaffinch and Eurasian Goldfinch gave me something to look through on route.

On arriving at the viewpoint, I didn’t have to look too hard for the Little Ringed Plover as I got straight on to one of the birds and very quickly picked up the other 2 all around the base of the pylon. Several Sand Martin were hawking the marsh and after a search I picked up singles of Ruff and Common Sandpiper to the right of the marsh. A group of 20 European Golden Plover were to the left with a few coming into breeding plumage. Due to the distance here are some awful record shots!

Ruff

Little Ringed Plover

European Golden Plover

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.

Dorset Tree Sparrow And A Self Found Black Redstart

Portland Bill, Dorset
Me and my mate Pete had a day in Dorset today. Our first stop was the bird obs to get the lowdown on the reported Eurasian Tree Sparrow. I had seen on yesterdays blog that there were 2 but today there was an increase to 3 birds. We were advised that the obs quarry was the best place to look. We had brief flight views of 2 individuals but an hour or so stake out didn’t produce any other views. The Little Owl was playing ball either so we decided to head off. We had parked near the Pulpit Inn and on the way back I was pleased to self find a Black Redstart. A rather showy bird and we enjoyed prolonged views of the bird. We popped in to the obs to ensure it made the day list and headed off.

Black Redstart

Meadow Pipit

Common Linnet

Red Hot Poker

Wild Celery

English Stonecrop

Ferrybridge, Portland, Dorset
Next stop was to take in the Little Terns and they didn’t disappoint. I was impressed with the numbers too. I’ve visited this site for a few years now and today’s tally was the highest I can recall there. Let’s hope their breeding season is a success.

Little Tern

Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset
This was our last site and the target species was Bearded Reedling. On arrival we stopped in the visitor centre for some food and refreshments. As ever we both still had our bins to hand and were glad we did as there was a 2 cycle Yellow-legged Gull on one of the posts in the lagoon. It didn’t hang around too long though. We also enjoyed close views of a Common Tern feeding. There were good numbers of Common Swift, Barn Swallow and Common House Martin with a couple of Sand Martin thrown into the mix. Around the reserve were lots of Eurasian Reed Warbler and several Cetti’s Warbler.

Domestic Duck

Eurasian Coot and young

Great Crested Grebe

European Greenfinch

Yellow Flag Iris

Heracleum moellendorffii

Add caption

A Reported Red-backed Shrike

Undisclosed Site, Exmouth, Devon
I popped back to see if I could pick up on my possible Tree Sparrow before work. No joy but did get a Common Firecrest. It’s an amazing site really as I had a number of species. The best of the bunch were, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Eurasian Blackcap and the first fledged Conmon Chaffinch and Conmon Blackbird but no Spotted Flycatcher today.

Budleigh Common, Devon
After work, I received a message about a Red-backed Shrike that had been reported early in the day. I was at the Otter at the time but quickly got back to the car in hot pursuit. I met up with Matt Knott and we both scoured the area with no success. The only birds of note were a couple of Sand Martin, European Stonechat and Common Linnet. Still I enjoyed catching up with Matt and it’s always worth a look. At the end of the day, if your not out there looking your not going to see bugger all. I was only at the Otter for 10 minutes when I got the message so not much to report apart from a calling Cetti’s Warbler at White Bridge.

Some more flower pictures..... Yawn!

Hairy Bittercress

Uncertain of this species

Pink Campion

Common Chickweed

Creeping Buttercup

Bothriospermum Chinense

Wild Geranium

Half Day Off

Goosemoor, Topsham, Devon
I was going to have a full day off work to go birding but the weather made me change my mind so I opted for a half day. I started at Goosemoor but there was very little about initially. However the call of a Garden Warbler soon got my attention. I located the bird on Bowling Green Road in the trees to the left of the railway bridge. It showed briefly but I soon lost it. Also in that area were a Male and Female Eurasian Blackcap.

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
The rain set in again so I took refuge in the hide. On arrival I was aware of s lot of Hirundine activity. They were mainly Sand Martin but a number of Barn Swallow and a couple of Common House Martin accompanied them. A Cetti’s Warbler was calling at the left hand side at the back of the reeds and a single Little Grebe and Common Pochard were the best of the supporting cast. Then a Gull came in from the Estuary. It wouldn’t stay still as it flew around the reserve a few times and duly left. The rain was really coming down which hampered things but I felt at the time it was giving off Bonaparte’s Gull. I’ve since seen that it’s been reported later in the afternoon. So my initial thoughts seem to have been correct (for once).

Barn Swallow

Sand Martin

Sand Martins

Maer Rock, Exmouth, Devon
I decided I fancied some sea watching so I pitched up at the raised beach huts near Maer Rocks. I watched for around 2 hours and it was rather productive. However Berry Head has put it to shame once again! During my watch I had a Common Loon, a Black-throated Loon, 5 Manx Shearwater, a Northern Fulmar, 4 Little Tern, 6. Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 30 Sandwich Tern, 3 'Commic' Tern, 8 Black-legged Kittiwake, 5 Northern Gannet, 2 Common Murre, 2 unidentifiable Auk, 10 Common Scoter and 20 Pale-bellied Brant Goose. I was really surprised not to get a Skua. On Maer Rocks were 3 Purple Sandpiper and a totally knackered looking Male Northern Wheatear. He didn't move for quite some time. I checked back in on him from time to time and started to get concerned as the tide was starting to cover the Rocks. He left it until a moment or 2 before the Rocks were covered to muster up the strength to fly off towards the Maer, phew!

Northern Gannet

Common Tern

Little Tern (Honest)

Northern Wheatear (Male)

Purple Sandpiper

Group of Purple Sandpiper

Common Scoter (Male)

Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
A brief visit before calling it s day didn’t provide much more than a White Wagtail and 2 Eurasian Rock Pipit on the dung heap and a Common Whitethroat on Gore Lane. Matt Knott had a fruitless look around the top fields and was heading towards Bristol School Camp as I left. I’m not sure yet if that area was any better.

Red Knot Or Not?

Bowling Green Marsh, Topsham, Devon
A pre work visit to the hide early morning. There wasn't a great deal about but on my first scan of the waders on the spit I was drawn to this smaller wader. It was sleeping when I first saw it so I couldn't be sure what it was. It woke up to preen itself for a moment or two and I could only manage a few of my rubbish photos. At the time it was sleeping, I did think Red Knot. However when it was preening etc. the neck looked to long for a Red Knot (picture 1 kind of capture this). The light was awful (as it can be at this site when the sun is low) but the bird was a medium sized wader and looked a dull brown / grey on the back, wings and head (almost like a non breeding Godwit plumage). The chest and belly were white but the chest had some faint barring on it. It was short billed and the supercilium stood out a mile (picture 2 shows this). I had a proper look at the pictures during my lunch break and conferred with my trusty Collins App and the only suitable candidate was a Red Knot. Although it didn't quite sit well with me (me and my curiosity again!).

Mystery Wader - Longer neck than I would expect for Red Knot

Mystery Wader - Look at that Supercilium!

Mystery Wader - Short bill

I returned to the site after work to have another look. There were plenty of Waders about. Mainly Black-tailed Godwit but a couple of Dunlin and several Red Knot were in the mix. I was glad there were Red Knot about as it gave me a chance to do a compare and contrast on the bird from this morning. And in honesty, looking at the Red Knot has made me think my bird from this morning didn't quite fit with how these birds looked. However I cant seem to tag it to anything else at the moment! Also on site was a Ruff, a few Sand Martin and a Male Eurasian Blackcap on the road near Goosemoor.

Red Knot in amongst Black-tailed Godwit

Dunlin in amongst Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

The Otter Estuary, Budleigh Salterton, Devon
I had time for a quick look before heading home. The Cetti's Warbler was in song near the white bridge. No sign of the Lesser Whitethroat but to be fair I wasn't on site long. Still no Common Kingfisher or Water Rail! A few Barn Swallow were about but apart from that the site was very quiet.

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.