Sightings

Main sighting: Yellow Wagtails

A brief visit following recent devastating fire damage: Canada Geese (10); Mute Swan (5); Woodpigeons; Herring Gull; Peregrine; Magpie (2); Carrion Crow; Swallows (40); Reed Warbler (at the only visible patch of water’s edge, near the burnt out Seawall hide); Wren (2); Starling (4); Blackbird; Robins; Stonechat (2); Wheatear (2); Yellow Wagtail (8); Pied Wagtail (3); Goldfinch.

Main sighting: Yellow Wagtails and Wheatears

Visited Goldcliff Lagoons this morning to inspect the fire damage first-hand. I have written a blog post on this, which can be viewed at www.thewildlifeoculus.com.
Despite the damage, there remains a lot of bird activity.
Highlights –
Seawall area leading to where the Avocet Hide ( aka Seawall Hide) used to be fore it was raised to the ground –
Yellow Wagtails 10+ feeding on insects in the burny grass areas of the wall. Wheatears on the posts down the path.
Elsewhere on the reserve-
Cettis Warbler, Wren, Linnet Flock 10+, Goldfinches 6+, Stonechat, Magpie, Woodpigeon.
On the dried lagoon bed of Monks viewed from Hide 2, a flock of about 60-80 Dunlins and Ringed Plovers.

Main sighting: Various

5 Little Egrets, 4 Grey Herons, 2 Kingfishers, good numbers of Sand Martins

Main sighting: Marsh Sandpiper

Single 1st winter imm found on foreshore in Redshank flock infront of Peterstone Gout on Sun 24th Aug. Bird still present on Mon 25th Aug

Main sighting: Sparrowhawk

Female sparrowhawk, stock dove, raven, red kite, jay.

Main sighting: Passage migrants

Good mix of birds today despite no water. Car park to hide 2: green woodpecker calling, woodpigeons, magpies, robin, crows, goldfinches, female kestrel on fence post and female goldcrest feeding. Hide 2: male kestrel, distant fly-by great egret, 196 ringed plovers on the dry mud with 44 dunlin mixed in, lesser black-backed gulls, Canada geese, 7 yellow wagtails with the cows and 2 wheatear mixed in, 2 (pale-morph) buzzards, juvenile hobby came in but failed to catch anything, cettis calling and chiffchaff contact call. En-route to seawall: moorhen and herring gulls. Seawall: passing cormorant (high tide). Hide 3: meadow pipits, 2 herons, 2 swans, 1 sanderling mixed in with 101 more ringed plovers and 33 more dunlin, 3rd wheatear seen, house martin flock mixed in several hundred swallows (all aerial feeding), juvenile little ringed plover, starlings, reed warbler, mallards, gadwall and pied wagtail. Back by marsh platform a juvenile whinchat was feeding around the brambles. Wren, blue tit and blackbird also seen. Hide 1 saw the little stint mixed in with 25 ringed plovers and a 4th wheatear. productive morning. Other: red admiral, green-veined white, large white, meadow browns and common blue.

Main sighting: Green Sandpiper

The Green Sandpiper was foraging on the far bank of the pond opposite the hide.
Little Grebe with chick. Moorhens, Little Egret and Mallard Ducks.

Main sighting: Yellow Wagtails

Visited the reserve early AM. The lagoons may have been completely dried out, but there were plenty of birds.
Highlights –
Birds on a post around the reserve, mainly found between Marsh Platform and Seawall Hide – Stonechats, Whinchat, Common Whitethroat, Meadow Pipit, Cettis Warbler and Yellow Wagtails.
Flying in large numbers were Sand Martins, Swallows, and House Martins, feeding manically on insects, especially around the Seawall hide and Becs Lagoon.

Becs Lagoons had a flock of waders roosting on the sunbaked mud – Ringed Plover and Dunlins. It was reported to me that a Little Stint was present.

Other birds – Greylag and Canada Geese, Oystercatcher, Magpies, Carrion Crow, Buzzard, Linnet, Chaffinch, Wren, Goldfinch, Chiff Chaff, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Green Woodpecker, Pheasant, Moorhen

Main sighting: Fieldfare

A resident reports having seen about a dozen Fieldfares near Newchurch most evenings over the last week.

Main sighting: Shearwaters

Common Scoter; Oystercatcher (10); Kentish Plover; Whimbrel (4); Turnstone; Sanderling; Little Tern (3); Black Tern (4); Common Tern (5); Sandwich Tern; Kittiwake (10); Black Headed Gull; Mediterranean Gull; Herring Gull; Yellow Legged Gull (17); Great Black Backed Gull (12); Lesser Black Backed Gull (7); Arctic Skua; Great Skua (6); Razorbill; Storm Petrel (11); Fulmar (6); Cory’s Shearwater (33); Sooty Shearwater (7); Great Shearwater (21); Manx Shearwater (2271); Balearic Shearwater; Gannet (42); Cormorant (6); Shag (6); Grey Heron (1); Willow Warbler (3) on ship; Reed Warbler on ship; Pied Flycatcher (2) aside ship; Great Tit; Magpie; House Sparrow.
Also seen: Common Dolphin; Striped Dolphin; Cuviers’s Whale; Bottle Nosed Whale; Blue Shark; Blue Fin Tuna.

Main sighting: Yellowhammer

40 minute visit to Haldon Forest en Route to Plymouth for Sea Watch:
Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch (6), Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Crossbill, Dunnock, Goldfinch
(3), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch (3), Nuthatch, Pied Wagtail, Siskin (17), Stonechat, Swallow (5), Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer 93).

Main sighting: Osprey

The returning adult male Yellow-legged Gull was with the moulting gull flock for at least its fifth summer, also 2 ad GBBG, c.350 Herring//LBBG and c.50 BHG. An Osprey flew around for a few minutes. 1 or 2 fledged juv Little Ringed Plover and an adult still present on the north shore, also a Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Egret, a Little Grebe and a juv GC Grebe.