A garden bird watch this morning gave 26 species around the feeders which included Greater Spotted Woodpecker (M&F) Collard Dove 12, Goldfinch 14, Greenfinch 10, Chaffinch 27, Robin 2, Dunnock 2, Blue Tit 5, Great Tit 2, Coal Tit 2, Long Tailed Tit 5, House Sparrow 11, Wren 2, Carrion Crow 3.
Around the fields and hedgerows Jackdaw 10, Song Thrush, Redwing, Magpie, Stock Dove 2, Herring Gull 35 and Buzzard. Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and House Sparrow in good numbers beyond accurate counts.
An afternoon visit to the Exminster Marshes and thanks to posts over the last couple of days byHelen Whitall the reported Short Eared owl seen if rather distantly from the bank by the Topsham ferry landing point, initially perched but took to the air almost as soon as I saw it, mobbed by Corvids it flew up towards the M5 motorway bridge. (Given the distance you have to squint at the images to see it !!)
Other species included 21 Cormorant all sat together on a bank, large numbers of both Brent and Canadian Geese which frequently took flight due to a Buzzard hunting in the same area.
Duck number did not seem as high a recent visits but Teal, Wigeon, Tufted, Pintail , Shell and Shoveller all recorded, far more Mute Swan on the marsh than seen recently.
Other species included Curlew, Coot, Dunlin, Lapwing in large flocks, Heron, Little Egret.
Two female Reed Bunting one of which remained at close quarters ripping reed heads apart, a Cetti’s Warbler calling loudly from a bare bush that I was standing alongside but it managed to avoid being seen despite calling away.
Kestrels seen at Exminster Marsh (male) and another on the A38 near Goodstone Cross by the Caton junction.
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