THURLESTONE BAY BIRDS

AUGUST 2015

A month when the weather was notable for all the wrong reasons – mainly cloudy, lots of rain and much lower temperatures than would normally be expected.

A few days of strong winds mainly W/SW but not the gales that were forecast.

Total species recorded was 117 – (c/f 2014 – 118, 2013 – 124) with 5 new species the year total increased to 173 (c/f 2014 – 167, 2013 – 177).

New species for the year were BEE EATER, LITTLE GULL, LITTLE STINT, SPOTTED REDSHANK AND CURLEW SANDPIPER.

Special comment necessary for

a) BEE EATER – On 2^nd August Alan Pomroy was ringing at South Milton Ley when amongst a flock of HIRUNDINES he picked up the distinctive call of a BEE EATER.  This is a first record for the patch.

b)   Wader Fest day 13^th August – After heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight with a force 2-3 NE wind a superb passage of waders was experienced – between 08.00 and 11.15 a total of 512 waders recorded with the days total of 15 species was a patch day record.

Some birds landed for a short while on South Huish Marsh although most flew in off the sea and went East straight up the Valley.

On the Marsh – 2 GREENSHANK, 3 WOOD SANDPIPER, 7 GREEN SANDPIPER, 1 RUFF, 2 BLACK TAILED GODWIT, 4 SNIPE.

Flying over – 215 RINGED PLOVER, 130 DUNLIN, 110 SANDERLING, 8 TURNSTONE AND 4 KNOT.

On the beach/rocks – 21 OYSTERCATCHER, 1 KNOT, 1 REDSHANK, 3 WIMBREL.

At 19.00 a LITTLE STINT was briefly on the Marsh

On Thurlestone Marsh were 2 GREEN SANDPIPER.

At nearby South Efford Marsh – Eric from 12.00 until 16.00 had a single flock of 400 WHIMBREL and BLACK TAILED GODWIT, 30 SNIPE, 40+ DUNLIN, 25 RINGED PLOVER, 6 GEEEN SANDPIPER, 3 WOOD SANDPIPER and a GREENSHANK.

Total count for the two sites was an incredible 1017.

Other significant sightings were:-

DUCKS

WIGEON – The male returned to South Huish Marsh on 19^th.   First record of this species over summering.

GADWALL – A female on a garden pool in South Milton.

TEAL – first were 2 on 10^th with a max of 10 on 24^th.

COMON SCOTER – Only recorded on 3 days max 20 on 21^st.

GANNETT, FULMAR AND SHEARWATERS

GANNET – Counts of 650 on 3^rd, 610 on 6^th and a max of 1095 on 4^th.

FULMAR – Max 8 on 19^th.

MANX SHEARWATER – Two big passage counts – 700 on17th (in 1 hour) and a max of 1255 on 4th (in 3 hours).

BALEARIC SHEARWATER – Record on 6 days – max 8 on 19^th.

RAPTERS –

Plenty of sightings of KESTREL, SPARROWHAWK, BUZZARD and PEREGRINE .  A HOBBY recorded on 16^th.

RAILS AND EGRETS

WATER RAIL – first returning birds were 2 on Thurlestone Marsh on 15^th.

LITTLE EGRETS – Regular sightings of up to 6 birds.

WADERS – A total of 20 species recorded – max were –

OYSTERCATCHER – 37 on 17^th.

RINGED PLOVER – 215 on 13^th.

GOLDEN PLOVER – 1 on 26^th.

SANDERLING – 110 on 13^th.

LITTLE STINT – 1 on 13^th.

CURLEW SANDPIPER – 1 Ad on 24^th, 1 Juv on 25th.

DUNLIN – 130 on 13^th.

RUFF – Singles on 12 dates, 2 on 20^th and 5 on 25^th.

SNIPE – 33 on 24^th.

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT –Recorded almost daily – max 26 on 30^th although flocks of 15 on Thurlestone Marsh and 17 on South Huish Marsh on 29^th could have been a total of 32.

WHIMBREL – 4 on 26^th.

CURLEW – singles on 15^th, 18^th and 20^th.

COMMON SANDPIPER – 1 on 17^th.

GREEN SANDPIPER – Recorded on 15 days max 9 on13th.

KNOT – 3 on 13^th and 1 on 31^st.

SPOTTED REDSHANK – Single on 20^th.

GREENSHANK – Recorded on 6 days, max 6 on 25^th.

REDSHANK – Singles on 7^th and 13^th max 2 on 24^th.

WOOD SANDPIPER – Best passage for many years – recorded on12 days mostly singles with 2 on 24 and a max of 3 on 13^th.

TURNSTONE – Max 8 on13th.

SKUA, GULLS AND TERNS

GREAT SKUA – 2 on 5^th and 3 on 14^th.

LITTLE GULL – Singles on 4^th, 14^th and 19^th.

MEDITERRANEAN GULL – Very few this year – max 2 on 3^rd.   An adult on 24^th had metal rings on both legs.

KITTIWAKE – Max 5 on 4^th.

LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL – Max 45 in a fields on 2^nd.   On 24^th one on the rocks bearing  a ring – 2AV4 – ringed as an adult at a land fill site on Guernsey on 21^st May, 2013.  First sighting since then.

YELLOW LEGGED GULL – Single juvs on 2^nd and 5^th.

SANDWICH TERN – Only recorded on 7 days max was 38 resting on the rocks on 14^th.

COMMON TERN – Single on 27^th was the only record.

KINGFISHER AND CUCKOO

KINGFISHER – Recorded on several dates, ringers ringed 2 birds.

CUCKOO – Arthur found one on South Huish marsh on 9^th =scarce bird on the patch.

WOODPECKERS

GREEN WOODY – has become difficult to find, singles near Thurlestone on 11^th and 12^th.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODY – Regularly seen at up to 4 sites around the patch.

HIRUNDINES

SWIFT – Max were 20 on 6^th.  Last patch record 1 on 25^th.

SAND MARTIN – Max 10 on 13^th.

HOUSE MARTIN – Max 75 on 29^th.

SWALLOW – Max passage 500+ on 29^th.  Roosts at Thurlestone Marsh built up from 1250 on 3rd to 4500 on 31^st.

WARBLERS – Some impressive numbers ringed at South Milton Ley with probably no more than 7 ringing sessions.

CHIFFCHAFF – 41

WILLOW WARBLER -  61 ( included a Spanish control)

BLACKCAP – 21.

GARDEN WARBLER – 6

WHITE THROAT – 15

GROPPA – 5

SEDGE WARBLER – 126 (highest day count 47 on 11^th)

REED WARBLER –  73 (highest day count 17 on 15^th).

REDSTART – 2

CHATS AND FLYCATCHERS

NUTHATCH – 2 at South Milton Ley on 7^th and one on 27^th.

WHINCHAT – All at South Huish Marsh – 2 on12 and 17 and 1 on 26^th.

STONECHAT – Up to 6 some days, plenty of Juvs.

PIED FLYCATCHER – A female in the Hotel grounds on 29^th.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER – Recorded on 7 days max 3 on 15^th (1 ringed)

WHEATEAR – Poor autumn passage so far – only recorded on 6 days, max 4 on 31st.

WAGTAILS

PIED WAGTAIL – No big numbers so far, max only 25.

GREY WAGTAIL – Singles on several days.

YELLOW WAGTAIL – First was 1 on 17^th, max 4 on 29^th.

PIPITS, FINCHES, BUNTING AND SPARROWS

TREE PIPIT – Passage around middle of the month, max 6 on16th.

MEADOW PIPIT – Only singles recorded towards the end of the month.

GOLDFINCH – A flock of 35 around South Huish Marsh from 23^rd.

BULLFINCH – Party of 6 at South Milton Ley on 12^th and 17^th.

YELLOWHAMMER – Singles around the lanes and at South Milton Ley.

REED BUNTING – Up to 3 on Thurlestone Marsh.

HOUSE SPARROW – Evidence of good breeding numbers with a flock of 100+ at South Huish Marsh which included a large number of Juvs.