THURLESTONE BAY BIRDS

SEPTEMBER 2015

A month when summer finally arrived – from 16^th to 30^th warm sunny (many cloudless) days with no rain.  Winds E/SE up to F6 thanks to a settled high pressure system.

Only heavy rain was on 14^th with F8/9 W. wind.

Total species recorded were 122 (c/f 2014 – 132, 2013 – 125) with 6 new species for the year the total increased to 179 (c/f 2014 – 173, 2013 – 185).

New species for the year – SHORT-EARED OWL, REDPOLL, DOTTERELL, GREY PHALAROPE, SOOTY SHEARWATER, CROSSBILL.

On Saturday 5^th we took part in our 3^rd BIRD RACE DAY, competing against teams in the Midlands, improving on previous years we achieved 89.   Highest total achieved by BELVIDE RES. in Staffordshire with 92 closely followed by UPTON WARREN in Worcestershire with 91.

Highlights of the month.

MUTE SWAN – first bird returned to South Huish Marsh on 22^nd.

DUCKS

MALLARD – None on South Huish Marsh – very unusual.  Max on Thurlestone Marsh 115 on 15^th.

SHELDUCK – Singles on 3^rd and 29^th.

WIGEON – First returning bird a female on 12^th, max 22 flying east on 30^th.

PINTAIL – 2 with WIGEON on 30^th.

SHOVELER – 3 flew east early on 5^th.

TEAL – Numbers increased from 12 on 3^rd to 45 on 29^th.

COMMON SCOTER – 7 on 16 and a max of 32 on 30^th.

GANNET, FULMAR AND SHEARWATERS

GANNET – Max 200 on 4^th.

FULMAR – Very few recorded.

SOOTY SHEARWATER – 1 picked up by Doug S. flying east on 16^th

BALEARIC SHEARWATER – 4 on 11^th and 5 on 14^th.

MANX SHEARWATER – Very poor passage last were 3 on 10^th.

RAPTERS AND OWLS – Regular sightings of KESTREL, SPARROWHAWK, BUZZARD and PEREGRINE

HOBBY – Max 2 on 5^th.

MERLIN – 1 flew down the valley early evening of 5^th.

BARN OWL – 2 sightings during the month.

TAWNY OWL – Regularly heard around South Milton Village.

SHORT-EARED OWL – 1 watched quartering over Thurlestone Marsh at 18.40 on 5^th.

RAILS AND EGRETS

WATER RAIL – Heard regularly on Thurlestone Marsh

LITTLE EGRET – Max 8 on 29^th

GREAT WHITE EGRET – Single on South Milton Ley on 17^th and one watched flying across the Bay on 29^th.

WADERS – 16 species recorded this month.  Max were:-

OYSTERCATCHER – 48 on1st with 41 on 23^rd.

RINGED PLOVER – 170 on 1^st and next highest 61 on 11^th.

SANDERLING – A single flock of 85 on 3^rd was an exceptional count .

LITTLE STINT – 1 on 3^rd briefly on South Huish marsh

PURPLE SANDPIPER – Arthur found 1 on Leasfoot Beach on 17^th

(I thought this would be the earliest Autumn patch record, Bob remembers ringing one on the beach at the end of August some years ago).

DUNLIN – 69 on 4th and 60 on 13^th.

RUFF – 2 on 1^st with 1 on 2^nd.

DOTTERELL – 1 reported from the Golf Course at 7.30a.m. on 8^th.

SNIPE – Max 10 on South Huish Marsh on 24^th.

BLACK- TAILED GODWIT – 22 on South Huish Marsh on 1^st, max on Thurlestone Marsh 18 on 22^nd.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT – 1 with BLACKWITS on Thurlestone on 18^th and 19^th.

WHIMBREL – Only 2 records 2 on 2^nd and 1 on 5^th.

CURLEW – 1 flying up the Valley  early on 1^st.

COMMON SANDPIPER – 1 on the rocks on 2^nd

TURNSTONE – Max 4 on 4^th.

GREY PHALAROPE – After a stormy day one found by the footbridge on 15^th.

SKUA, GULLS AND TERNS

GREAT SKUA – Single record of 1 on 9^th.

MEDITERRANEAN GULL – Max 3 on 23^rd.

YELLOW L. GULL – A Juv on South Huish Marsh on 1^st.

BLACK HEADED GULL – Max 160 on 17^th.

HERRING GULL – Over 2500 in the Bay on 17^th (A very high count)

SANDWICH TERN – Very few records – max 3 on 9^th.

COMMON TERN – One on 12^th and 2 on 27^th.

KINGFISHER – Max 3 on 11^th.

WOODPECKERS/JAY GREEN at South Milton Ley on 5^th.

GREAT SPOTTED – Regular in 3 separate locations.

JAY – Started to appear around my garden.

HIRUNDINES

SWIFT – Last recorded 1 over the Golf Course on 8^th.

SWALLOW – Some passage at the end of the month max 720 on 27^th.

HOUSE MARTIN – Max 425 also on 27^th

SAND MARTIN – A few recorded during the month with a single flock of 50 on 29^th a good late record.

WARBLERS – Ringing team not on the site as often as in previous years.

CHIFFCHAFF – Max 22 ringed on 6^th.

WILLOW WARBLER – 6 on 2^nd.

BLACKCAP – Good numbers this Autumn – 25 ringed on 19^th could well be a patch day record.

WHITETHROAT – max 8 on 11^th.

GROPPA – Singles on 2^nd and 11^th.

SEDGE WARBLER – Max only 6 on 2^nd.

REED WARBLER – Max 7 ringed on 6^th.

CHATS AND FLYCATCHERS

NUTHATCH – 1 in Buckland Valley on 5^th.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER – Must have had a good breeding season, 6 in Buckland Valley/Thurlestone Village on 5^th and 5 at South Milton Ley on 20^th.

REDSTART – 1 in a village garden on 5^th.

WHINCHAT – Singles on 1^st and 24^th.

STONECHAT – Recorded daily max 8 on 26^th.

WHEATEAR – Max 8 on 30^th.

WAGTAILS

YELLOW – Singles only on 4 days.

WHITE – First returning bird on 4^th.

GREY – 10 on the patch on 5^th and 4 on 30^th.

PIPITS, BUNTINGS AND FINCHES

TREE PIPIT – 2 ringed on 6^th with 3 more on site.

MEADOW PIPIT – Max 50 on 29^th.

SISKIN – first were 15 on 5^th, 41 on 11^th, and 30 on 24^th.

LINNET – max 60 on 13^th.

REDPOLL – 2 on South Milton Ley on 8^th and 1 over my garden on 28^th.

GOLDFINCH – Max 80+ on 23rd.

CROSSBILL – 3 flew over the footbridge on 30^th.

STARLING – Highest roost 500+ on 5^th.

A RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE photographed in the Village on 14^th was the second patch record this year.

Mike Passman

mikepassman@modbury.me.uk