Mark D

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

Torcross from the hill above, damaged road and properties

Double breach in the Slapton line at the Torcross end.

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👍👍

Great Northern Diver with crossed bill

1w Caspian Gull

Black-throated Diver

Mother & calf Harbour Porpoise

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!

1w Great Northern Diver

Purple Sandpiper

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 😖

Ring-necked Ducks male (far left) & female (middle right) with Tufted Ducks male (middle left) & female (far right)

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!

Balearic Shearwater

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.

Teign Est as well usual wintering birds this Dec (Spot Red, 40+ Redshank, 10+ Greenshank, 5+ Common Sandpiper), also today Great Northern Diver mid est, and 16 Avocet ( highest count this winter( upper est).

Annual on Teign? This one has been back since at least 02/12/25 and the Spoonbills since 04/12/25 assuming they are different from the 3. What no flotilla to spook em😉

Annual on the Teign. This one has been back since at least 02/12 and the 2 Spoonbills since at least 04/12. Glad no flotillas to spook em😉

Happy Xmas from a wild Torcross