Backwater Birding - Seaton, Devon (3 Viewers)

[bun]

Had intentions of going to Beer Head this morning, but when the alarm went off at 6.00 my body refused to leave the bed - hopefully tomorrow it wont........ did manage to get up there in my lunch hour and logged down

19 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 5 Willow warblers, a chiff and 2 fly over Ravens.

Then late afternoon came the usual phone call Osprey by the farm gate and am glad to say i broke my jinx and saw this one, cheers for the call steve...:t:...now bring on the Marsh Harriers.

This evening i went to the fields at Beer Cemetry, and saw just a few willows and as i was leaving 2 Tawny Owls flew out a ivy covered tree near the top of the lane.

 

[Steve Waite]

The clock struck five - time for lunch! I jumped in my car and went round to the river - whilst driving up the estuary side all of a sudden Gulls up everywhere!!! Stopped, jumped out and scanned.....nothing! Pants! Back in car, drove up to the Axmouth farm gate, pulled in, glanced up....Osprey!!! Had superb views of it fishing (well, attempting to anyway!) on the stretch river adjacent to the gateway for about ten mins. It then dissappeared down river behind a tree, but shortly came back into view - with a fish! It spent a couple of minutes not having a clue where to land with its dinner before crashing down besides the river on a shingle bank...but out of view! Cars (and a scooter!) were soon arriving but it remained out of sight. I jumped back into my car to return to work just after 6, which is when it took to the air and performed for the crowds!!!! I left it for work. Also saw 11 Blackwits - an increase on recent numbers.

 

[Gavin Haig]

Well, no Ortolans for Bun and me this morning, but a nice selection on what felt like a rather quiet Beer Head really: 32 Yellow Wagtails, 9 Chiffs, 16 Blackcaps, 4 Willow Warblers, my first Skylark of the autumn plus some Meadow Pipit vis mig - 15 over, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, just a single Wheatear and, just as we were leaving, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Whinchat and a handsome Redstart. I can't recall seeing many (any?) photos of Redstart on here yet, so here's a ropey pic of the colourful chap. Shame it wasn't a lot closer.

 

[KarenWoolley]

It just got quieter thereafter, I arrived at 9ish and saw much the same birds as Gav and Bun did but in smaller numbers. I'd spoken to Bun in Beer on my way in and was hoping to see a Redstart but didn't |=(|.

Hopefully, if we get a change in the weather later in the month, they should start turning up in my favourite field at Trinity Hill and if they pose like they did last year, I should be able to get a few good shots of them. That said, they'll probably totally avoid the place this year, who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.....

There were hundreds and hundreds of hirundines on the head too, took a snap of some on the wires. distant view, but look!! can you see an impostor!

 

[Gavin Haig]

....but look!! can you see an impostor!

Nice snap of my Tawny Pipit....and is that a Wryneck and Ortolan prodding about in the thistles?

Beer Head - Land of Wonder and Enchantment......

 

[Jos Stratford]

Nice snap of my Tawny Pipit....and is that a Wryneck and Ortolan prodding about in the thistles?

You're getting good Gavin, keep up the top class work. All those shoddy patch workers need do now is post up their snaps and you'll pick out the specials for them ...that's a one up on Steve, I mean he has to actually go out into the field to find rares!

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Any REAL birder analysing Karen's pic of course, would also have noted that a "hole" the exact shape and size of the one in the fence the other side of the post to the right of the Tawpit could ONLY have been made by being struck by a disorientated 1st cal yr Allen's Gallinule the night before. You can't quite see the ground below the hole well enough to be totally sure that the (perhaps only stunned and possibly still present) individual wasn't just out of view in the pic.

I'd get back down there if I was a "Backie"

 

[Steve Waite]

Now for some serious birding news!!!!!

Spent most my time around the river today and have been rewarded with some nice highlights, of which two stand out. This morning at about half ten an Osprey (probably yesterdays bird) flew very low north over Colyford Common with a fish hanging below it - great view!!! The other nice highlight was on my latest sweep of the river with an unusual wader double act down by the tramshed, one an estuary mega - a Turnstone, the other a nice passage scarcity - a Ruff (a gorgeous juv too!); quite odd seeing them feeding together!!! Other odds and sods seen on the river today include: 17 Ringed Plover, 45 Dunlin (most this autumn?), 2 Greenshank, 64 Redshank, 1 Blackwit and a few fly over Yellow Wags.

A look behind Beer Cemetery produced little but c18 Blackcaps and a few Chiffs and Wills.

Sorry about the pics - distance was ok it's just the light was crap!

 

[KarenWoolley]

All those shoddy patch workers need do now is post up their snaps and you'll pick out the specials for them

Cheers Jos. Nice to know my efforts are appreciated!

Thanks for the text Steve, that was my first ever Turnstone on patch! Your pictures have turned out OK considering it was almost dark!!

As I said at the time most of mine seem to feature the rear ends but I've found a couple of decent-ish ones. I particularly liked the one of the Ruff bathing!!

 

[Jos Stratford]

Cheers Jos. Nice to know my efforts are appreciated!

You are the Photo Queen of the Backwater, you can rest assured the colour you bring to the thread is appreciated

 

[Steve Waite]

Walked down the river valley with Karen today - though one of the highlights passed before she arrived! The Osprey came over and circled above the scrape and adjacent ditches (giving superb views)...realising this wouldn't produce much in the way of dinner it headed off up river! Attached are the best photos I have EVER seen of a small dot in the sky......

Ok, so what did we BOTH see.....: 2 Greenshank, 2 Blackwit, 1 Ruff, 2 Wood Sands, 6 Green Sands, 34+ Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 7 Teal, 1 Shoveler and 1 Whinchat.

 

[Steve Waite]

Ringing in a private garden this morning, but enroute a look along the river showed the Turnstone, 10 Ringed Plover, c40 Dunlin, 3 Teal and 2 Blackwits.

 

[KarenWoolley]

Popped into Seaton this morning after the school run to pick up a new tyre for my car. On the way home at around 10ish I decided to stop at the Farm Gate, just in case the Osprey that's been hanging around over the last couple of days is a habitual one (seen at 10:15 yesterday). I didn't have to wait long for a brief view as it flew low south and then towards town when I lost it. A few minutes later several flocks of waders flew up river, followed by the Osprey. I went for my camera took one shot and lost it, couldn't see it anywhere in flight, so scanned along the river and there it was, perched on a fence post!! It stayed here for a few minutes before having a low fly-around harried by a couple of rooks and then a buzzard. It didn't attempt to fish and soon flew off low north up the River Axe again. Pehaps it will be back again this afternoon!?

It was a bit distant for photos but I had a go at some anyway.

The first two were taken with my S3 (swan got in the way a bit in picture 1).
The next three were digiscoped, picture 5 is a crop of picture 4. I'm really happy with this one considering it was handheld at some considerable distance!!!

 

[Steve Waite]

Pehaps it will be back again this afternoon!?

And it was - my third Osprey from Co-op! About twoish - I think (well whatever time I texted you Karen!). On the upper estuary - usual reaction from the Gulls!!!

 

[KarenWoolley]

I popped down Colyford Common for the 5:30 showing this afternoon, only when I got there, I saw in the log book "Osprey 5 o'clock" Pants!! |=(|

When Steve texted I was up the River Axe south of Whitford around the Nunford area. In the log book it says " Osprey at 2 o'clock North with fish" It didn't reach me so is probably going to tree in Colyford/Brucklands area.
Attached a couple more pics from this morning (nice naff ones) of the Osprey and a Buzzard

 

[Simon Wakely]

Evening All,

Hope you are all well,
We have some good sightings to report today;
• Dan and Abi saw the Barn Owl up by the Lyme Bay Winery at about 8:30pm this evening, flying across the road towards the train tracks.
• Heard the Green Woodpecker calling today, and the Tawny Owls calling at about 9pm.

• The final mention tonight is potentially one of the best sighting's I've mentioned on this forum, only the thing is, we're not going to mention what it is yet. We're leaving it up to you to figure out what it is, all responses welcome. We know what it is so we will put up a post tomorrow night saying what it is.

Hope you can all get it from the picture. The quality is fairly good considering it was taken from around 500-yards away.

Happy Birding,
Simon & Sue Wakely. :t: :t:

 

[Steve Waite]

Simon, other than it's grey - I don't have a clue!! Though it does look a bit like a Lesser Patagonian Conure (some Parrot thing - I saw one fly over Spurn once!!!!) But I'm guessing that isn't the correct answer!

Another Co-op tick tonight, a Blackwit flew W over. Another nice highlight (after hearing the Gulls going a bit mad) was a female Sparrowhawk straddled upon a Pigeon on the pavement opposite Co-op's back gate! Amazingly dispite cars pulling up next to it - it stayed here for about 20 minutes! The Pigeon still flapping even though it must have been virtually plucked bare!!!! Mad!!!!!

EDIT: Karen - why does the first picture of a Buzzard look like its got a cream crown!!!!!??????

 

[KarenWoolley]

EDIT: Karen - why does the first picture of a Buzzard look like its got a cream crown!!!!!??????

It's called wishful thinking, another picture of said buzzard showing brown head attached. Perhaps the Osprey had pooed on it as a deterrent!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gavin Haig]

......picture 5 is a crop of picture 4. I'm really happy with this one considering it was handheld at some considerable distance!!!

I really like your Osprey photo, Karen. Hope you don't mind, but I nicked it and mucked about with the colour, contrast and sharpness a little. Here's the result. If that's what I can do then doubtless far more can be extracted from it by someone with photoshop (or just someone competent). Got to be worth a slot in the 2007 Axe Estuary and Seaton Bay Bird Report (cue fanfare and tingling anticipation). Whilst on the subject of photographic prowess I must mention that our very own Steve Waite has achieved another patch first (I would imagine) - one of his lovely Curlew Sand pics has been featured in the BirdGuides 'Review of the Week'. Very good going for a digiscoped non-rarity. Unfortunately you have to be a subscriber to see the review, but any old 'erbert can enjoy the snaps, and other delights, by tuning in to this thread on a regular basis. You know it makes sense.

Incidentally, if you carefully check the reed edges in the attached photo you can see a Spotted Crake melting away like they do....|=)|

 

[bob hastie]

As Gavin throw down the gauntlet I had a play myself (hope thats alright Karen)
This is the best I could manage with the small file size.
Altered curves, colour temp, increased the blacks, toned down the greens at the top, corrected the vignetting and sharpened.
Hope you like it