Out today in this fime weather monitoring certain raptors and a nice Red Kite flies through - always a pleasure to see in Devon and may be in the right place at the right time to find another!
Berry Head: 49 Red-throated Divers through, including one amazing flock of 44. Great Northern Diver on sea.
So thought better walk out to Berry Hd where c30 in quarry. A wick seawatch was quiet apart from 3 RtDivers heading S and a couple of GNDivers off the quarry.
Seems a decent arrival of Chichaffs with c15 and a couple of Blackcaps around the Zeneca quarry area.
Exminster Marshes: c50 Sand Martins over lagoon + more moving through & over canal, 3 Pochard & a Goldeneye, 8 Euro White-fronts & a Barnacle Goose
Queen’s Marsh, this morning: again 3 Green Sandpipers and 2 Snipe
Yesterday BHd: 9 Manx, Rt Diver, 2 Common Scoter, GN Diver, auk and Kittiwake passage
Queen’s Marsh, Tones this morning: 3 Green Sandpipers ( most I’ve seen here this winter), 2 Snipe, m Goodander, 2+ Mandarin etc
Shoalstone seawatch little moving: RtDiver. walk to incl. Brixham Harbour: BtDiver, 1w Caspian Gull, ad Med Gull, 12 GNDiver
Yesterday a birthday trip to Pendeen,0900-1100: 11 RtD, GND, 36 C Scoter, c200 Manx. c1500 Kittiwakes passing and feeding. From Lelant nice ad Iceland Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Gull & Yellow-legged Gull in with 100s of gulls.
Shoalstone on sea 12 GND, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver. Out to sea moving ahead of front 1 Manx Shearwater & c1500 Auks
Berry Head/Shoalstone: finally a SW wind but just a RtDiver and a few GNDs on the move. Walk back to Shoalstone indicated a bit of a clear out of GNDs with only 29, but also birds flying on Tor Bay
Then a walk over the top to look at poor Torcross - damaged properties (smashed roof tiles etc on many); and a devasting double breach in the Slapton line, very sad may be not repairable (or the funds to do so!!). Taken with wide angle then full zoom (600mm eqiv).
Beesands Ley drake Ring-necked Duck, 26+ Tufted Ducks, Firecrest by hide. Also total devastation of much of the beach from recent NE to SE storms.
What a great “at work’ find👍
White-winged Gull (most likely Iceland Gull) flew E past Shoalstone; also Brixham/Shoalstone: Caspian Gull 1w, ad Med Gull, 1 BtDiver, 4 Rt Diver,(in flight), 2 Common Scoter, c100 GN Diver
Nice make Bill👍👍
Berry Hd seawatch, relatively quiet 2 RtDivers through and 20 GNDs on sea, another c30 GNDs on walk back to Brixham with where many (c30) in harbour including one X-billed! 1w Caspian Gull also in harbour and same Black-throated Diver as a few days ago at Shoalstone. Mother & calf H Porpoise too!
But where do they all come from and then disperse? Peak count seems to be 1st thing or towards the end of the day. May be birds from right around the channel and Tor Bay acts as the trap
With @backwardbirder.bsky.social counting another 44 roosting on the other side of Tor Bay around same time, that’s a record 226!!!👍👍
Brixham-Shoalstone: Black-throated Diver (photo), 8 Red throated Divers (3 on sea pic of 2, also 5 flying), ad Little Gull. Amazing count of 182 Great Northern Divers at 16:00 when forming large roosting rafts across Tor Bay!! Earlier count from end of breakwater (162), also 6 Purple Sandpipers.
Cracker!
Large influx of Great Northern Divers today after SSE gales, managed to see 76 while earlier @clennonvalley.bsky.social had 93. With others dotted around BHd & Hope's N, surely a record 100+ around Tor Bay. Also c50 GC Grebes in 2 groups & 3 RTDs. 6 Purple Sandpipers on the breakwater
I have been a seen what is a great film, but starts with this poor bit of research by the makers 😖. Surely a Goshawk, Sparowhawk or a Peregrine would be more appropriate! But not a flippin H Hawk 😖
My Devon shot of 2025! Not knowing at the time I had taken in-flight shot of both male & female Ring-necked Ducks with male & female Tufted Duck providing a great comparison! For #photographers #BirdingGear its the cheap Nikon Z50II with a sharp (not so cheap) Z400mm 4.5, both bought 2nd-hand
Berry Head 0800-1000 very strong SSE 7-8: lighlights Manx Shearwater and ad w Little Gull; also Great Northern Diver, 624 Gannets, 360 Kittiwakes, 124 Fulmars, c30 Common Dolphins
Good bird Jake, much rarer than they used to be👍
2. It’s also the end of calling them Balearic as they lose their species status, back to Mediterranean Shearwater - let’s hope that doesn’t impact on their critical status!
As a seabirder Balearic Shearwater was bird of 2025 for me. Yet another record year off Devon - my personal tally of c6500 sightings this year off South Devon (many from boat) blew away previous years.
Yesterday up to Hartland to count the Red-throated Divers, a good count of 374 in nice calm conditions. On Bursdon Moor 4 Hen Harriers to roost (3 as males & ringtail) and Merlin.
